Chaotic Outbreak Endless Ilumination
by Seraphim Bahamut
Summary: A re-write of Yu-Gi-Oh GX Season 4; that keeps the major events, but adds new characters and a more fan catered experience. Chapter 18 Up; A lead up to the end. projectchaosrisng. com
1. Chronicles of Light Part 1

Chaos Rising:

**Chaos Rising:**

**The Aria Of The Weapons Awakening **

**Book Eight**

**Chronicles of Light**

Chapter 1: Beginning

It was a new year for duel academy, most of the students were gearing up for a new year and the sun was shinning down on Duel Academy Island. The chancellor sat up in his office looking at some files on his PDA, This he had intentions to push Jaden to his limits. The new duelists were a varied bunch from a duelist who was a pop star to one duelist who had beaten Pegasus and even Kaiba. There was no way this year was going to be easy, but he had no idea of what was really coming to Duel Academy.

"It's day three aboard the S.S. dull and boring and I'm ready to jump overboard. This is about the worse cruise ever with no specialties what so ever. Just what kind of a cruise is this? I mean we got ten duelists on board and there are three females and one of then is a five hundred pound crocodile called Shirley. While another one is just some ditz called Britney, she is almost obsessed with the color blue. The rumor is she only entered on two conditions and one is she got into obelisk blue. Supposedly some sort of a star, which explains the attitude. And the last is from europe and I have not even seen her. And that crook just sits there with some guy called Jim Cook and they have not moved since the voyage started. Then there Professor Thelonius Viper, and with a name like that you know he has got to be bad, and every teacher has his pet so enter Axel Brody. He is not the friendliest kid on the playground so if you're in a fight you want him on your side. At those wrap up the normal duelists, then there are the weird ones, four of them I have not seen since the voyage started and the last one is…"

"The last what?"

"WOW! You startled me, you really should not appear from behind like that, I was just recording the details of this fabulous voyage, so who are you?"

"Not that it is really any of your business, but my name Brett Illumine"

"Well my name is Adrian Gecko, so what is with the whole cloak thing? Are you going to be the next guy to try and take over the world?"

"What don't you like my look?"

"Say did you say your name was Brett, the Brett from the news?" as Jim finally spoke for the first time to anyone.

"Yeah that's my name, and who might you be?"

"You know his guy Jim?" Adrian chirped in.

"Yeah this guy is the one of the news, the one who has been beating all the star duelists, this guy came out of now where and in the last two years he has a perfect record and has only beaten so many duelists. I thought you beat Kaiba last year after you to got in a fight. By the way my name is Jim and that over there is Shirley" pointing to the large crocodile nearby.

"The media really are not my friend, and I hate those titles they have given me are not correct. I have never beat Yugi or Jaden so I doubt I'm the best, but that will change once we get to duel kingdom."

"Yah they dubbed you the unstoppable duelists mainly cause of your signature dragon cards and the fact you don't lose. Well except the one time you surrendered in the tournament last year at duel academy. After losing that duel, you went and beat the champion. It was quite a story" Jim was impressed to see such a duelist in his midst.

"So why are you going to duel academy Brett?" Adrian questioned him with an interested look.

"Looking to duel Jaden since everyone says he is the best, and you guys better be watching because it will be short. Now if you excuse me I got some things to check up on, so I shall take my leave"

Brett turned and began to walk away slowly flipping his hood back up before turning and leaving down the steps. Adrian watched with interested gaze thinking "well this year should be fun!"

Meanwhile Axel was practicing getting ready to duel when a forceful knock came at the door. "Who's there?"

"Who do you think?"

"Sorry professor but there is a stalker on board and you cannot be too careful" Axel walked over opening the door. Professor Viper stood in front of him slowing walking in shutting the door behind him.

"I take it you had an unwanted guest, doesn't this busy body know what curiosity did to the cat. Well, well, well, Adrian Gecko you can relax he is perfectly harmless and focus your energy back on the task at hand. Once we get to Duel Academy there will be a short ceremony to introduce the new duelists. Then we shall begin with the plan, these poor fools won't know what hit them."

OPENING VIDEO

As the boat pulled into duel academy each of the duelists got ready and departed from the boat each looking at the others with looks of hostility before departing on their way. Brett was the last off the boat talking his time to get his stuff ready and together. He had to be ready since Jaden was supposedly always ready. After getting ready, Brett departed heading to ward duel academy taking in the sights and sounds as he let cloak hang over his shoulders. He wore runner's and jeans as well as a red sweater, and on his arm was a standard duel disk. His deck was loaded into his duel disk, he was ready for anything.

He took his time viewing the island before heading to the ceremony, but something was watching him from close by. Brett made his way, finally reaching the doors to the main building but then he heard foot steps. As he turned he saw one of the other cloaked figures from the boat. "What's a matter you been following me for a bit, you want to duel or something cause I got to get to the ceremony" Brett was not amused with this guy tailing him.

"Your existence is a sin" in a very quiet monotone voice was all the mysterious man in cloak said to him as he continued to look at Brett.

Brett was not sure what to make of this, he had no clue who this guy was or what he wanted; but he was late. Brett opened the doors and began to run down the hall to where he was suppose to be, and as he did the cloaked figure ran past him cutting him off before launching a fist at him. Brett barely moved in time to dodge as the other fist flew at him the opponent began to spin launching punch after punch before beginning to launch kick after kick.

Brett could only helplessly parry attacks till eventually he began to use his blocks to fight back. As a spinning kick came flying towards Brett grabbed his leg stopping his rampage of attacks before tossing him back. Brett was worn down but not defeated as he looked at him "this was not part of the duel academy package" lightly chuckling.

"Welcome students to a new year at duel academy. We have many new duelists from all around the world, and they are all here today. Most are top of their class but I'm happy to announce we have a very special person who is actually joining as a student. Despite the faculties thoughts and even against my wishes he is joining Slifar red. Now I guess we should start introducing the students, right after the duel academy pledge by our student rep Blair Flannigan!"

"Not this freak again" Chazz said.

"Hey Chazz it's your girl friend" Hasleberry responded as he and Chazz argued.

"Wow the chancellor got a new special duelist to join. That's so cool; I got to duel him! Wonder who he is?" Jaden questioned wondering who this new opponent was.

Thud!!

Brett flew back as he crashed into the wall. The last punch had knocked him straight back against the wall as he looked up "You know I have tried to be nice, but I'm late so move out of my way!"

Brett jumped up landing a fist straight in the opponents face, knocking the hooded man back a few steps. He looked directly at Brett as deep dark voice bellowed from beneath the hood "this is ridiculous! You should not be this strong yet, do not think you have won" as the cloaked man fled down the hall.

Brett had no idea what had just happened but he was late, he needed to get there fast!

Blair was nearly finished her speech; but the Chancellor became worried since everyone was not yet at the ceremony. As Blair finished, she moved off to the side of the stage giving a slight wink to Jaden with a big smile. Jaden could only smile as he knew Blair was infatuated with him. The chancellor retook the microphone continuing to introduce the new duelists despite the fact the star was not here "very good. Now we let's introduce our new duelists!"

Brett ran down the hallway's taking turn after turn. He ran at top speed trying to get to class quickly. Brett was already late, and had just been held back even more due to that fight. This was putting his plan in jeopardy, he needed to get there. He finally got to the right door allowing himself time to straighten himself up before entering.

All the other duelists had been introduced, but Brett had still not arrived. The chancellor was disappointed since Brett had never shown up. "And last on a sad note it seems our special guest duelist has decided against coming this year" as the students were unhappy with this new piece of news mumbling and whispering.

"Sorry I'm late, I got held up by a rather annoying person" as Brett entered the room at the back of the class.

"Are you our new student?" Questioned the chancellor.

"Yes that would be me, and I can save you some time, I will just introduce myself!" stepping forward, he leapt into the air landing on the stage, turning around and tossing his cloak away, "My name is Brett Illumine and you all probably know who I am, and I'm going to be in Slifar red. And I'm only going to accept the best duelists challenges."

Jaden was ecstatic over the news; this world class duelist was going to be a Slifar red just like him. He could only hope that he would grace Jaden with a duel. Blair was surprised; this was not the guy she remembered from last year. Brett dueled her at the end of Duel Academy's last year and when they battled Brett did not seem like this at all.

"And those are our duelists for the year; so join me in welcoming them" as the students applauded there new students "now let me turn things over to our new visiting Professor, Tholonius Viper!"

As Viper walked up to the front, he passed the chancellor he bowed and said "It's an honor" before continuing on "for those of you who have heard my methods are strict you are correct. However with that being said I have always thought there was a method to my madness. You see, I believe actions speak louder then words so why don't we skip over the pleasantries and get down to business and start this year with an exhibition match?"

The crowd began whispering again as everyone was shocked, Brett stood behind him with a smile right across his face this is what he had been waiting for. "Simmer down so I can choose the competitors." And after a brief period of thought, "Jesse Anderson and his opponent will be Duel Academy's top student Jaden Yuki."

As Chazz was devastated it was not him, but Brett hated this exclaiming "Hold it there Viper! I did not come all this way just watch a show I would rather be dueling." Brett did not want to wait for his chance at beating Jaden, he had been waiting all summer for this, studying and making sure his deck was ready, but he had enough of this waiting.

"Feeling a little anxious are you? Perhaps you could take on the winner of this exhibition duel," Viper sounded very condescending towards Brett; to which Brett replied "fine I already know who's going to be the winner, so I guess I can wait a bit longer."

Viper only chuckled "then I guess we have a little tournament, Jaden versus Jesse and the winner takes on the unstoppable duelist." Viper began chuckling slightly harder as Brett looked angrily at him. Brett did already not like Viper since he was attempting to get between Brett and his target. "Very well! Now will the three duelists come here and hold out you're right arm."

As soon as they were in front of him he slapped on three bands across their right arms as Jaden questioned "what are these?"

"Let's just say they are a little welcome gift" Brett looked at Viper giving him the impression that he did not trust him "Students the exhibition duel will begin in one hour and not a minute later!"

As the students began to leave Blair ran over to Brett, "Brett! what are you doing here? Ever since that day last year I have so many questions that I have had to ask you…"

"I have no time to talk right now, I have to get ready for this duel" as Brett turned his head over towards Jaden. "Jaden I look forward to destroying you" as Jaden wondered if he even heard him right. Brett left not speaking to any one else, he was ready for this battle and it would play out the way he envisioned it.

END CHAPTER

Chapter 2 Light Shrouded by Darkness

Brett stood on the upper level watching and studying the duel, it was close but this was his last chance to study both of his opponents; he and his new deck were ready to win. Blair was watching Brett from the seats trying to figure out why he was here, his earlier actions had made her question what was wrong with him. Soon the duel ended with Jaden winning.

As the two duelists shook hands congratulating each other, Brett came down the stairs and entered the arena. "I have been waiting for this for a long time Jaden," setting his duel disk into the ready position.

"Me too, I'm a huge fan of you're dueling, your deck is so great and the way you duel is so excellent. So let's get our game on!" Jaden could not help but praise his opponent as he set his duel disk.

"Then it is my duty to sadden you, because I got rid of that deck long ago, my new deck is all about your destruction! I will not lose, and I will prove that I'm better, prepare to fail, Jaden. I will show no mercy, and I believe visitors go first"

"Fine by me" Jaden was confused because this was not a legendary duelist he watched on TV, but someone else and everyone from Syrus to Chancellor Shepard knew that this was very different.

The life points raised to 4000 each as both drew five cards, then Brett drew one more before truly commencing his plan "I shall make this quick since I know your cards can save you in the long run Jaden."

"Don't you believe in the heart of the cards? You always said you did in interviews."

"I traded that in for raw power, now I activate my Upstart Goblin giving you a thousand more life points while I draw another card. Next comes tremendous fire, so while I lose 1000 life points, you also lose 500. And next I shall place one card face down for a monster then I lay two more cards face down for a couple of traps and end my turn."

Jaden's friends looked on as the duel continued worried about Jaden but still encouraging his victory. As Jaden drew his sixth card Brett watched on "well I don't know what those traps are Brett but I don't care, I activate polymerization fusing Elemental Hero Avian and Burstinatrix to create Elemental Hero Flame Wingman, and I'm attacking you're facedown monster."

"Fine by me but I will activate it's effect, and my morphing jar allows us both to discard our old hand for a new one" They both discarded their old cards for five new ones.

"Cool, a new hand for me so before I end my turn I lay down two trap or magic cards Now show me what you got champ."

"You fool, this is your last turn I have all I need" as Brett drew another card "now first I activate Xian XU which will seal those trap or spell cards, and next, I think that I will get rid of that hero as I activate tribute to the doomed, and at the small price of one card from my hand, and now your hero is gone. Some hero that creature turned out to be; it really was quite pathetic. I'm not getting a fight to remember here, I really don't understand how you are considered to be such a hero."

Song Akuma no Keiyaku

And in an instant one of Jaden's monster was gone "hey Brett why you like this? I mean is it something just for me because this is not cool!"

"Nothing is wrong with me Jaden, I have never felt better! After all your about to lose this then I'm going to be the best in everyone's eyes!" As Brett held up one card from his hand two small spirits one of light and one of darkness appeared on the field.

Soon light and darkness began to swirl, clashing and rising into the air swirling further and further apart, dividing an swirling in large circles before colliding opening a giant rift above the duelist, creating a gaping dimensional hole in the ceiling. Then came a large creature slowly descending thought the hole dripping with a dark red goo As it touched down it roared loudly and full of pride, as the roar shook the stadium every duelist down to their very soul. The Dragon still covered with the red substance roared again as the substance dissolved. There stood the Chaos Emperor Dragon; bigger then the Slifar dorm and ready for battle. Brett stood there with an ecstatic look on his face ready to show everyone how great he was, "well Jaden what do you think of my creature, and all I needed was to remove a light and dark monster from my graveyard, I have been waiting for this. It has played out just as I wanted it to."

"Sweet card man, but it still can't beat me, I mean I still got 4500 life points, but that is one sweet monster."

"Well looks like you are wrong again, you see there is a reason I played tremendous fire earlier, now watch as I activate the card Megamorph, and since I have less life points my card has twice the attack power. This is it Jaden, you have no cards to help you, this duel is over!" as the duelists watched on Brett was not pulling any punches but going straight for a win.

"Hey Brett, before you finish me I got one question for you."

"Sure, I will bite what would the question be?"

"Why you dueling me like this, you're earlier duels where so different, so what's up with this? Your old strategies were not like this. Is beating me really that important?"

"Why?" as Brett began to think back to why he was doing this, why he went through all the trouble.

Then the duel was at a standstill as Brett thought long and hard as to why. Was it because he had hated Jaden? Slowly, he was thinking, as his dragon stood poised to attack, ready at a moment's command. Brett was having conflicting thoughts, part of him telling him to finish Jaden, part telling him that this was wrong. Brett struggled with the reason, but then he remembered why. He began to clutch his head as he dropped to his knee's, had his obsession about beating Jaden became the most important thing in his life and beating Jaden even overclouded the reason why he was fighting.

The crowd starred onwards as Brett was still on his knee's clutching his head, he knew this was not right, he knew it, but he also knew he could beat Jaden. Blair stood on wondering what was going on, this is what Brett wanted and victory was in his grasp. "Hey Brett, you ok over there, I thought we were dueling and it is not over yet" Jaden yelled from across the dueling field.

Slowly, Brett raised to his feet gaining his balance staring down Jaden "yes it is Jaden, this duel is over!" He raised his hand over his deck "I surrender!"

The monster of a dragon faded away into nothingness as the crowd was speechless. The band took affect sucking energy from both players knocking Brett to his knees grasping his chest as if he had the wind knocked out of him. He heard footsteps coming towards him fast as Jaden rushed to his side "Brett you ok, what happened out there?"

"Sorry Jaden, I forgot why I was really dueling, but it was for the wrong reasons" as he slowly got to his feet, recovering from the bio bands effect, "you truly are the better duelist here Jaden, which is why I want you to hold onto this card for me till I have truly earned it"

Brett handed a facedown card and Jaden took it flipping it over as his friends rushed to his side "the Chaos Emperor Dragon, but this card…"

"I'm not worthy of holding it yet Jaden, which is why you will hold it for me, and some day when I'm worthy I will take it back" as he stared up into the sky of the dome before turning and beginning to leave.

"Brett Wait I have to talk to you about that duel last year!" Blair shouted to him.

"Sorry Blair, I need some time to think about why I'm here, but maybe later ok?' as she shook her head.

Brett continued to leave as Viper took the opportunity to get more students as his guinea pigs. "Very well done, you all have showed you are exceptional. And now a few more exceptional duelists shall join the ranks." Viper was now in the center of the duel field as he called down Blair, Britney and Chazz. "You shall all have the honor to test my new invention as well."

Brett vanished through the door as everyone was still surprised about the events, but high in the rafters a cloaked man sat with a duel disk peering down on someone.

To be continued…

Chapter 3 The light of a Hero

Brett returned to his dorm for the night, he thought long and hard about why he was here. Jaden was not his real target, but who ever was dueling earlier was not him. Brett peered through his new deck looking through each of the cards as he thought silently "what did I do with my deck; this is not it."

For a while Brett stayed up rebuilding his old deck from scratch, picking and choosing from the case of cards at his dorm. Slowly he began to remember the reasons why he was here. Slowly drifting of to sleep, he knew tomorrow he had to apologize to Jaden.

The next day the sun was shinning as Brett got up. He got ready for a new day, putting on his duel disk with his original deck back where it belonged. His room was on the second floor of the Slifar Dorm and strangely there was nobody around; the entire area was empty. It was no surprise since it was still early, but all of a sudden Jaden, Hasleberry and Jesse came running up to the dorm.

Brett jumped off the second floor landing down on the ground before beginning to run to Jaden "Hey Jaden I got say something to you!"

"Not now Brett, some duelist has kidnapped Blair and is holding her prisoner down at the docks. He says that he is looking for you" Jaden yelled back.

"What!" as Jaden finally got up to Brett "Jaden what's going on, why me?"

"He won't say, he will only duel you though, he says you have something he wants."

"Then come on, let's get down there now!" as Brett bolted past them running to the dock as Jaden and company followed, this was his fault and he had to fix it.

As they arrived at the dock, Brett beheld at a frightening set up. A long the pier was a floating metal square section and on the concrete walkway beside this platform was Blair who was strapped to a big metal chair. As the cloaked figure looked up to see the Brett, he slowly removed is hood, and the man had medium length white hair and green eyes, "well Brett I have been expecting you, I think this is a little to much for you."

Brett ran down onto the platform past the rest of Jaden's friends, and as he did, a large force field appeared behind him "who are you and what's going on here?"

"Well since I could not beat you the other day at my game, I thought maybe beating you at your own game would be better, I went through all this for you or rather what you carry with you."

As Brett could not help but grit his teeth "taking someone as a hostage and I saw the anchors and the chains, took this from a page in dueling history, cause this is the same thing that happened to Yugi Moto."

"You picked up on that huh? I'm one for a little theatrics now and then, besides my goal must be achieved. The one who came before me failed to easily, I doubt you are that strong" the mysterious man said. Brett looked around "I will not fail these people, if you want me then just take me, leave Blair out of this."

"HA! It is much easier to attack ones heart then one who has nothing to lose. What are the rules you ask? How does it work? Well simply put this is a duel, we each have four thousand life points and we each have one of these chains attach us to an anchor. Now, when you lose the duel, you will be dragged down to the depths, but do not think for one second that this is a carbon copy of that duel between Yugi and Joey cause each thousand life points you lose, you will get a huge shock. The chains will electrocute you, and while I will always get the full shock you have the choice of passing it all to Blair, all to you, or splitting the pain."

Hearing the rules made Brett cringe in pain as the thought of this duel entered his mind, "You're sick! How can you do this?"

"Easy, you have something I want and I will do anything to get it, which is why the force field so you're friends do not interfere, and as for the victor, if I win, I get what I want. If I lose, then you can rush over and save her from that exploding chair, all you have to do is get the key beside her chair and get her off before the timer hit's zero. By the way, you have 10 minutes to beat me and save her, well do you agree. Also note that only the winner will get the key to open the lock, it's in the box near your feet."

"Who are you, why are you after me?"

"I'm a ghost of a better man, the guy who attacked you earlier was a sibling, that does not seem to be important if you want to save that girl you care about."

"Come on Brett, beat him" cheered Alexis and the rest of Jaden's friends from beyond the barrier.

"You use your fists to fight as well?"

"No I'm more of a sword person now. Do you agree to this duel?"

Brett agreed nodding his head and ran over lock the chain to his ankle. They both set there duel disks, getting ready to duel as they both drew their hands as Blair was trying desperately to get loose as the clock began to tick down from five minutes. "I'll go first if that's alright Brett?"

"Fine by me; you'll get trounced either way, so make your move!"

As the white haired man drew his card he could not help but smile "hey how chivalrous you are, 'cause my luck seems to be paying off because now I activate my meteor of destruction and you start this duel by losing one thousand life points. But that is not all, as I activate 2 hinotama cards and you lose another thousand life points leaving you with half of your life points. Now you choose who gets the punishment."

Brett took one look at Blair and turned back "I will take all of it."

"What, Brett you don't have to do that I can take some."

"No Blair, I'll be fine" as two incredibly powerful blasts of electricity blasted through Brett knocking him to his knees causing him to breath deeply.

"BRETT!" Blair shouted watching him fall to his knees as the others cried out as well.

"What's the matter did that hurt, I mean the girl was willing to take some of the pain, why did you not let her help you could be the fact that…"

"Shut the hell up and finish your turn."

"Oh what's the matter, just not in the mood to talk about why you're here? Well fine. I will just play one monster face down and I end my turn."

Brett slowly got up and began by drawing his sixth card before beginning. "Alright I start by playing the spell double summon, which will allow me to summon two monsters. So first up is my Vorse Raider, and next I will follow up by summoning one of favorite monsters, Red Eyes Black Chick. I think I'll activate his effect sending him away so he can grow up to become a Red Eyes Black Dragon, so with ought further wait, let's even the score. Attack Vorse Raider!"

And as the creature leapt forward coming down on the card a surprise awaited "hold it. Now I activate my face down monsters effect, and Blast Sphere cancels your attack and attaches to your monster and next turn 1900 life points will be gone, sweating yet?"

"Yah, well you got one of my monsters, not my main one, Red Eyes crush him" as the large Black Dragon shot a fire ball blasting away 2400 life points leaving him to take the blow as well as two powerful blast of electricity. "And before your turn, let me throw two trap cards face down and end my turn."

As the white haired man drew his next card he looked on the new card with content. "You will have to better then that, and you're running out of time, and now I think that you lose another five hundred points with yet another hinotama card, now next turn it's over…"

"Wrong, as now I think I will activate my Jar of Greed but also my Solemn Wishes card. So not only do I get a new card, but 500 more life points" as Brett smirked at him.

"Well, you out did me that time but you will still lose more points after this, I play one monster facedown and next I will end my turn."

As Brett drew his next card, Vorse Raider exploded taking out 1900 points leaving Brett with only one hundred life points left as he said "I'll take all the shock again" as two more powerful blasts rushed through his body knocking him completely down as he slowly struggled to get back up.

"Brett! Are you ok?" Blair was franticly yelling, still struggling to get out of the chair.

"Oh Brett, you try far too hard to be a hero when you should just fold."

"You just don't get it do you? I would never let anything happen to Blair" as he rose almost like he had no pain whatsoever.

Slowly a ghost like aura started to build around Brett's body as he yelled out "now I end this" as he drew a card and the aura grew stronger "I activate Pot Of Greed so I gain 1000 life points total, and now let me draw the last cards of the duel" As Brett's aura focused into his hand.

"Destiny Draw!" as the aura vanished into the two new cards as his look became focused "now your end! I sacrifice my Red eyes to bring out Red eyes Darkness Dragon and activate tribute to the doomed to take away your monster! Now Red Eyes take him down!" as the blast fried the opponent as he experienced two last powerful shocks as the duel ended.

Brett saw the key and ran over to Blair quickly unlocking the locks and freeing her and as he did, he dove out of the way shielding Blair as the chair exploded; taking the blast. Jaden watched in terror as they disappeared into smoke and dust, but as it cleared they saw Brett and Blair were ok. Brett was still shielding Blair and as he looked down on her he said "You ok?" as she nodded.

"Good to hear Blair, sorry I got you wrapped up in this" as Blair turned towards him to see him looking very unhappy.

"This is not over!" as Brett turned to see his opponent bearing a huge sword, it was long and it was wide, as he swung it and cut the chain instantly.

Brett pushed Blair away as his opponent jumped down on him. Brett narrowly dodged as the blade slid into the ground. Brett led him away dodging swings as he used his hands to divert the blade, but his opponent was way to fast. "Brett heads up" as Blair threw a pole towards him; he caught it protecting himself with that rather then his hands.

Brett fought back, landing skillful blows on his opponent. He hit him on his side before jumping back. Jaden and everyone was speechless at this display. But then the white haired man prepared his blade charging right into Brett; Brett used the pole to launch himself into the air. As the blade cut the pole in two, Brett grabbed his chain, spinning it around his opponent capturing him. The chain wrapped around his body, tangling him as Brett landed behind him, pulling it tight. Just then the timer went and the anchors released, dragging Brett and the chained opponent down to the ocean. As the barrier dropped Alexis ran by and grabbed the key diving into the water before reemerging with Brett a minute later.

Slowly they got back up onto the dock as Brett was very exhausted, coughing up water. Jaden ran over to Blair's side. Blair grabbed a hold of Jaden and began crying "Jaden that was so scary!" as Jaden could not help but be caught off guard by Blair, Brett seeing this got up and smiled before getting up and went back to his room.

The others could not help but watch as Brett left without a word, but someone else watched from the shadows "maybe he does have a weakness."

Chapter 4 Thought and Reflection

The rest of that day, Brett stayed in his dorm, thinking about his opponent and why he was the target of those attacks. He could not face the others yet, he was sure they did not want him around after all the trouble he brought. He stared through his deck while laying on his bed, awake, staring into space just thinking about the events so far. He wondered if coming to Duel Academy was the right choice.

Day turned to night as he just sat there, and the time soon closed in on midnight. Brett was no closer to the answers he desired than he was ten hours ago. Suddenly he heard a knock as Jaden, Jesse, as well as Hasleberry broke in to his room. "Hey Brett, how's it going? We got worried, are you alright? I mean, we have not seen you for a while." said Jaden, walking over towards him.

"I'm fine. I have just been thinking about stuff."

Blair was awake when she heard the events happening, since Brett's room was right above hers. She could hear there voices since Jaden had no idea about how to be quiet. Her curiosity interested her enough to crack open her door, and since Brett's door was opened, she was able to hear the conversation.

"Geez Brett, you're thinking of leaving? Why?" questioned Jaden.

"Because after today, I'm convinced that coming here was a bad choice."

"You cannot hold that against yourself, it was not your fault. Come on. We shall all go for a walk and we'll talk about everything, okay?" said Jaden.

Blair's curiosity was growing; this was interesting. Brett was leaving the island. She wondered about it before quickly getting changed back to her clothes, then quickly checking to see where Brett and the others were. the guys had finally coaxed Brett into taking that walk; Brett and the others were already on their way. Blair snuck out, following them along their path. Soon she caught up with them as they had stopped near the waterfall. Blair thought this was so cool. She could spy on Jaden, maybe she would find something new about him.

Song 1 Under The apple tree

She hid behind a tree that was close enough, so she could get a good earful of what they were saying. She got into position as she overheard Brett speak first, "guys I think I'm going to leave. 'Cause of the fact that I'm the reason that guy kidnapped Blair."

"What you taking about Brett, that is not your fault" pronounced Jaden.

"Yeah, it was that guy with the white hair's fault!" said Hasleberry.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence guys, but I have no friends here, and I came here just to beat Jaden, I do not deserve to be here."

"Well, I think you do and so does Shirley here" Brett and the others looked over to see Jim Cook with his pet crocodile strapped to his back, "I mean come on, heroes don't usually beat them selves up this bad. Let me ask you why you really came here. I'm not sure of your reasons, but you're a great duelist, and these guys must be your friends. Otherwise, why would they be trying to stop you from leaving?" Jaden and the others smiled in a bashful way.

"Yeah, that's why we brought you out here Brett, we did not want to see you leave" exclaimed Jaden.

"Yeah, I mean the way you dueled today in that setup was awesome, you were amazing even though you faced bad odds; and even worse you took all those shocks. If you're wondering me and Shirley saw you're duel when we were relaxing by the coast."

"Yeah, that girl that you worked so hard to save; then she goes to Jaden instead of you. And after you put your life on the line for hers. All you took for her was all the blasts off electricity to your body; then all of the life point damage too. Then you just saved her from that exploding chair before blocking the explosion. It's not like you just stood by; she is pretty ungrateful if you ask me." As Jesse spoke heart sunk; she had done nothing for Brett, her real hero.

With all that he had done for her yesterday, she had never thanked him or even shown any gratitude. She started to feel real bad about this; she never had thanked her hero who had saved her life twice in a single day. As she sunk down her back against the tree suddenly Brett piped up; "it's not her fault guys, she likes Jaden more then me. Besides if it was not for me then she would have never been in that situation in the first place."

"Oh I get it know;" as Jesse got real close to him. "That's why you came here this year you like Blair don't you, that's why Jaden was you're target; you wanted to show Blair you're better and win her over right?"

Brett was speechless; he blushed turning his head away from Jesse. Jesse moved in fornt of Brett's face; looking down at his shoes. "You really you like her?" questioned Jaden.

Suddenly Brett felt a nudge against his back; a small little dragon appeared from behind him giving a little roar, looking quite frustrated at Brett. "Whoa a duel spirit;" Jesse was surprised to see one; Ruby his duel spirit jumped up on his shoulder clear as day to everyone.

"Whoa never seen real duel monsters; did you guys just get those?" Jim questioned.

"We have always had them, but never has anyone else seen them. I have Ruby here; Jaden has Winged Kuriboh, and I guess Brett has this little guy." The shy winged creature appeared behind Jaden; all of the spirits were clearly visible too everyone.

"It's name is Red Eyes Black Chick, but I call him Red for short. He has an ability that allows him to be seen by people who normally cannot see him. But he causes more trouble with this ability; course he is really quite shy most of the time. It looks like it transfers to other duel spirits as well." Red continued to nudge Brett; letting little roars go to express his discontent with his master.

"Sounds like he wants you to tell the truth as well Brett." Jesse laughed a little after he finished speaking. Jaden was still amazed; Brett had a duel spirit too and he was a world class duelist.

"Fine, I like Blair that is why I came to Duel Academy. That is why I challenged Jaden and was so determined. I developed hate because Jaden was the only thing she cared about; I could not stand it. At that point, beating Jaden became my reason for my actions; I was such a fool. I cannot even accept forgiveness for my actions; all I can do is do is try to repay all of you for your friendship that you have shown me."

"Well that's good to hear. Hey Brett did you get any injuries from that duel? I mean you did block an explosion," Jesse questioned with a rather serious tone.

"Well the impact hurt but I'm fine;" they all looked at him seriously doubting his statement. "guess you did not believe that huh? My back is a little burned and I have some bruises but I'm fine really."

"Sweet looks like the old Brett is back; maybe I can finally get a real duel out of him." Jaden said as he hoped up to his feat, stretching his limbs. "Maybe sometime, but I really have to thank you guys for believing in me. I promise I shall repay you all."

Blair was shocked; that explained a lot of why Brett was the way he was. She felt really bad about the fact she had not figured it out sooner. There had to be some way to make it up to Brett. She sat there thinking about the situation; Brett liked her enough to save her life twice and take on Jaden. She had always admired him as a duelist; his skill was incredible. Blair thought about Brett and her feelings; was it possible she was falling for someone other then Jaden? Before she could think further on the situation, Brett spoke up; "well if I have friends her. I guess I could stay for a bit longer."

Blair was happy to hear he was staying; maybe she could convince him to stay somehow. He was her hero after all, and Blair was going to thank Brett properly. Jaden was ecstatic; "sweet Brett is going to stay. We got a first class duelist as our friend; but we better get back and get some sleep we got a big day tomorrow, and unfortunately we got class as well."

As the guys left; Blair sat there thinking about Brett. She was now determined to make him stay. After a few minutes she got up and walked back to the dorm She had a big day too; but else where new enemies began to plot.

"So you know what you are to do? Push him to his limits, and you shall be rewarded. His weakness is the girl, so use it!" The shadowed figure spoke in a deep voice with passion.

"Yes master, we shall do it as a team;" the twin voices spoke simultaneously to the large shadow.

"Remember make sure he uses all his power, even after the duel!" as the two hired duelist left, leaving the remaining character to chuckle in the shadows.

Chapter 5 Limits

Another day came; the sun shown Duel Academy, another perfect day for this little island. Brett had just begun to wake up; the sun shown through his window illuminating his room. He was well rested and ready to start another day especially after last night. The new found encouragement from his friends had boosted his spirits; maybe this year was not going to be so bad.

Brett got ready; he left his room shortly after, with his deck and duel disk. He descended the stairs a small voice came from beside him; "Morning Brett how are you today?" Blair said as she looked at him coming down the stairs from his room. "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday, I never properly thanked you for saving me from that situation."

Blair gently blushed, causing Brett to quickly respond. "No their is no reason for you to apologize for anything Blair. It was not your fault for anything that happened. It was my fault anyway; you ended up in that position because I came to Duel Academy."

"Well regardless of why it happened, you saved me from that maniac. I wish there was some way for me to repay you for saving me." Brett turned bright red hearing Blair utter those words. "Maybe we could hang out after class today and talk a bit?"

"Su-Sure Blair I would love too;" Brett said, his voice quivering quickly accepting her proposition. "So you're going to class right?"

"Well in a bit first I just got to get something from my room." Blair smiled and ran back to her room as she spoke. "You just go on ahead, I will be right behind you; ok?"

"Yeah ok but remember after class?" Brett smiled back as he turned away and left. Blair turned back to her room; smiling at how easy it was to get Brett to comply.

Later Brett got to class, and he was still had some time before class started; some of students were settling into their seats. Brett noticed as he moved towards his seat that their was some sort of commotion going on near the front of the class. Many of the male students had gathered around someone; all with pens and papers as the female students looked on. Brett was wondering what could cause such a stir in the student population. Syrus squeezed out of the crowd landing on his face; Brett ran immediately over helping Syrus up to his feet.

"You ok Syrus?" Brett questioned, but never got an answer when a young girl's voice came from the crowd. "Is that the cutest, most illusive duelist out there? I guess I Finally found him!"

Song 1 Kaze no Kodou

Then the crowd parted; revealing a girl in an Obelisk Bleu outfit with a movie star face, with a cute appearance. She jumped into Brett's arms; grabbing hold of his arms forcing Brett to spin around. Her long blue ponytails moved gently with the spin; before gently falling into place. "So I finally get you back in my grasp. You are one tough little duelist to get but you are so worth it!" She was smiling from ear to ear, while starring directly into his eyes.

"Oh, hi Britney when did you get here?" Brett sounded very unenthusiastic, while forcing a small smile. "What are you sick? I was on the boat with you, but chasing you is like a ghost. It's almost like you forgot I'm you're girlfriend, geez isn't that so silly right kid."

"WHAT? Brett is Britney really you're girlfriend. You're so lucky to have a pop star duelist as you girl friend." Syrus was jealous of Brett; starting to cry a little about how unlucky he was. "Syrus she is not my girlfriend" Brett said sounding very aggravated; "she just thinks she is. So are you still a pop star, or are you playing actually a real duelist?"

"Well my publicist said it would be better if I went as a duelist; and of course he wants me to be with you, I could not pass this up. But don't get the wrong idea I love being with you. None of these other duelists could hold a candle to you, either in dueling or being so cute." The news knocked most of the guy duelists out; they would do anything to have Britney as their girlfriend.

Then Jaden burst in the door panting hard, completely out of breath. He had just made it to class, and surprisingly he was not late today. Brett looked up, but still no Blair causing Brett to be a little concerned. "Jaden is Blair with you? She said she was going to be here, and she is never late."

"No, she is not with me Brett;" the bell rang signaling class was about to start. Brett became increasingly worried. Blair was never late for anything, and never class since she was the class rep. Brett ran quickly up the steps; running towards the door grabbing Jaden telling him they had to hurry. Syrus, Chazz, Halseberry, and Jesse all ran out after Brett and Jaden. "Hey wait Brett, who is this Blair? She better not be a girl. I'm the only girl for you! Damn I'm not going to lose him again;" her blue eyes filled with fire passion. She gave chase to Brett, not wanting to lose him.

Song 1 end

Blair slowly woke up, coming out of a hazy state. The last thing she remembered was going into her room, when she was hit on the head with enough force to knock her out. She could not move and she felt something tied to the back of her she moved her head slowly trying to see who was behind her. Then she realized her feet were dangling in the air. She looked down to see that their was no ground bellow her feet. She saw that she was tied up; the rope securely holding her up. She looked past her feet to see a hundred foot drop to the ocean bellow; she immediately screamed at the top of her lungs.

Brett got out just in time to hear Blair's scream; he looked around, tracking in on the source of the sound. Looking around till he realized it was coming from the cliffs. He immediately began to run over to the source of the sound. The rest of the group followed behind Brett, running trying to keep up with his heightened pace. Brett knew something was wrong, but if it was that group again it did not matter.

Brett ran up to the area where the screams where coming from. As he went over the hill, he saw a crane; attached to the rope the crane held up, was Blair and Alexis tied up together. The girls were back to back, Alexis was still unconscious; they hung from the crane overhanging a cliff. As Brett neared the cliff two people jumped in front of him, holding their hands out in front of them, blocking Brett's path. "Stop now or to the rocks bellow they go." The two men stood between Brett and Blair; the second one began to speak. "You shall duel or they shall fall, your chances are so very small."

"Wait a second that lame rhyming; you must be the paradox brothers. What could you possibly want from me. I get hit with a sword each time I lose points, or are you just mad about my adoptive father firing you." The others arrived shortly after Brett; they saw the new set up, and Brett motioned them to stay back. "What are you blabbering about? We never had any intentions of hurting you, but you will be pushed to your limits."

"Those fools! They were never to say anything about why they were dueling him. This puts far too much light on my plan. I will need to switch targets for the next duel, and something to get rid of Brett." Viper finished speaking, watching on his computer while events unfolded. Scowling at events before his eyes, things where starting to go bad. "Those morons have just terminated there contract; but let's see how much energy they can suck out of Brett."

"Brett I'm so glad you're here!" Blair shouted out, causing Brett to blush slightly while responding. "Don't worry Blair I'm going to save you, and beat these losers. I'm world class and you are not so get ready to lose." Alexis now woke up quickly looking at the situation realizing she was in trouble.

"Now listen to us;" the paradox brothers began speaking at the same time. "This is how the duel shall work. It shall be a tag duel consisting of me and my brother against Brett and another duelist. We have decided on Jaden for your partner. Should anyone interfere with our match, we shall end these females lives by pressing the button on this controller. Each team shall have 8000 life points and for each thousand life points you lose, we shall cut one of the eight ropes. Do you agree?"

"No he doesn't cause the Chazz will be taking this duel; not Jaden. The Chazz will save his beloved Alexis by himself if he must." Brett and Chazz had never really talked since last year since their last duel. They would have to work together to save the girls. "Very well we accept this substitution of players. Now Brett shall be first to draw, followed by Para, then shall come Chazz, and last shall be my turn."

"You're doom comes now!" they both shouted, and the duel began.

Britney was listening to the whole thing from further back. She was unhappy that Brett cared for Blair, much more then her. She was unhappy with this news, but she looked the girl over. There was no way Brett liked that runt, hanging from the string then the pop queen herself. She figured it was time to cheer her guy on; "Come on Brett win this one for me! You could beat these guys buy yourself for me right?" Brett and the others looked at her for a moment. Brett was becoming quickly aggravated with her, but he quickly refocused on the duel. The life points set as Brett and Para drew there first five cards, "Let's duel" all four yelled at once.

"Well it's my turn first so I will make it quick!" Brett took a card from his hand, placing it on his duel disk. "I summon my Nin-Ken Dog to the field and end my turn."

"Very well here comes my turn, and now those eight ropes shall start to burn. I play a monster face down while I play a trap card as well. That is all for now, fool." Para ended his turn while Brett and Chazz traded spots. Chazz closed his eyes; speaking to Brett as they passed. "Brett if you think this is a game then you're dead wrong. You better not be holding me back, you have been a burden since last year."

Chazz stepped up; a confident smile across his face. "I start my turn by playing my Y Dragon Head; and now attack the face down card Y Dragon Head." The mechanical dragon came down on a Mystic Tomato creature; destroying the monster instantly. "Now my monsters effect activates as I summon a second Mystic Tomato from my deck in attack mode." Para laughed, causing Chazz to scowl as he spoke; "big deal, you got a useless tomato. Now I use Brett's monster to attack that new tomato."

The second one was crushed; the new monsters effect summoned a new monster, known as cannon soldier to the field in attack mode. Chazz was unhappy, but at least his last attack but at least he took away life points. "Fine I place one card in my magic/trap zone, and end my turn. Don't get too comfortable, I'm going to really start the pain soon."

"That was your last successful turn, because you two still have not learned." Dox said coming into position for his turn. Blood veins appeared on Chazz's forehead; Chazz began to shout, "Enough with the stupid rhyming you dorks and just duel!" "Very well, I start my turn by changing cannon soldier to defense. Next I summon my Kaiser Sea Horse, and now I attack your Y dragon head." Chazz and Brett lost 200 life points while their monster disappeared. "Now my Canon Soldier will sacrifice itself, to deal another 500 life points damage. Well you two shall lose soon enough; I end my turn."

Brett and Chazz switched, and as hey passed Brett confidently said; "Just watch me go. I will beat these two by myself." Brett's turn started; he quickly drew his next card. Brett started his turn by tributing his Dog monster. A large slab of ice fell from the sky; the wind whipped around it. The ice broke apart revealing Mobius the Frost Monarch. "I activate my new monsters effect! So know I can destroy your facedown magic card. Not bad huh?"

"Not so fast! I activate that card, and it is my Mystical Space Typhoon. Since it is a quick magic spell card, I can activate it. Now my spell destroys your trap card." The card effect activated destroying the trap Chazz had left behind. The Call of the Haunted disappeared, causing Chazz to yell. "Nice going you moron, is that world class dueling I hear about." Brett only stood there; Brett retaliated with an attack dropping their opponent's life points.

The score currently was Brett and Chazz with 7300 life points while the Paradox Brothers had only 6900 life points. Everyone could see Chazz and Brett were not working well together, and it was causing problems. Para stepped up to the field; drawing his next card before opening his mouth. "I play my premature burial card. This allows me to summon my Kaiser Seahorse back from the grave. Next I will play a trap and play a monster in defense mode, before ending my turn."

Brett and Chazz continued to trade places, shooting comments on how the other was doing back and forth between them. Their teamwork skills left room for improvement, but so far it was working. Chazz started his turn by drawing a card; next he summoned yet another Y Dragon Head. It attacked the face down revealing the Dark Hex, who had 1600 defense points. Brett and Chazz lost 100 points. Chazz quickly moved to attack the Kaiser Sea Horse with the Ice Monarch. Their opponents lost more life points, as they scowl towards their opponents; Chazz laughed as he ended his turn

The next turn came; Dox was about to change the balance of power in this duel. Dox used his tribute doll magic card; sacrificing his monster to summon his over powered Suijin. His new monster was unable to attack due to the power of his magic card. Dox played a new monster face down defense position; then Dox quickly ended his turn.

Brett took over switching modes; he attacked the new face down monster revealing the Spear Cretin. The creature's effect allowed both sides to summon a monster. Brett picked the old Y Dragon head in his graveyard in attack mode. Dox re-summoned the Dark Hex monster in defense position. A new monster was placed facedown before Brett ended his turn.

The Y Dragon Head was destroyed by Suijin causing more life points were lost. This time one of the ropes was released causing the girls drop a few inches. They both screamed loudly while everyone's heart skipped a beat. Brett watched as Para ended his turn; Chazz step up to the field to start his turn. Chazz placed a new monster down defense position before placing another trap/magic card. The monarch monster destroyed another facedown monster before Chazz ended his turn.

Dox took over the duel; placing another monster in face down defense position. Next he flip summoned yet another Mystic Tomato. This time Suijin took out the Monarch, knocking more life points away from Brett and Chazz. Then the Mystic Tomato destroyed Chazz's Ojama Black, that he placed face down earlier. The turn ended before Brett was finally able to go back for more; the duel was not looking well for anyone.

Chazz and Brett were not working well together; both wanted to save their respective girl, but neither of the guys liked one another. Brett knew this was not going well but he had a new plan; he placed a trap and ended his turn. Para started his new turn he skipped playing any new cards, rather destroying the last Y Dragon Head. The Mystic Tomato attacked the last facedown card defending Brett. This time Brett was ready as Marshmellon appeared; it's effect activated, taking life points away from Para. "Sorry but it's time to retake control of this duel. First Marshmellon cannot be destroyed; second because you attacked it in facedown defense position so you lose a thousand life points."

Para ended his turn; this time Brett stopped Chazz as he was about to pass Brett. Brett whispered quietly to Chazz; "Look I know we do not like each other, but I'm not letting the girls suffer. That card that's face down is a present for you; but just end your turn without doing anything." Brett looked dead serious straight at Chazz; "well you do love that other freak hanging there; so I doubt you would betray me. Alright I'll take your word for it." Chazz stepped into position drawing his next card before activating the face down card. The trap Jar of Greed activated allowing Chazz to draw one more card before ending his turn.

When Dox started his turn he simply drew a new card playing meteor of destruction taking away from a thousand points. Dox ended his turn as another rope was cut causing Jaden and the others to become more concerned. Brett's team's life points were down to 4900. Each time Brett had been trying to block out the fact that more ropes were being cut. Brett was forcing him self to concentrate on the duel, if he lost then it was game over. The others had been shouting and cheering this whole time but Brett was dead focused, it was time to win.

Brett's aura formed around his body while he trade places. Slowly the ghost aura became stronger; Brett drew the next card, his aura still present. Brett yelled; "I activate Pot of Greed! Allowing me to draw to more cards; and now Destiny Draw." This time his aura went into the two new cards; Brett smiled as he looked at his two new cards. "I activate my Tribute to the Doomed. So now by getting rid of a card in my hand you're Suijin is finished."

Dox complained; his monster was rapped in bandages being destroyed by the magic cards effect. "I'm not done I summon my Luster Dragon and attack your facedown card" as the spear cretin was destroyed causing both players to summon another monster. Brett re-chose his Frost Monarch while Dox chose the old Spear Cretin as it went into face down defense position. Brett then got his Frost Monarch to attack the Mystic Tomato, destroying another thousand life points. His opponent picked another Canon Soldier to the field in defense.

Brett at last ended his turn; his opponents had still 4000 life points. Brett knew they could win if this kept up. Para started his turn by playing a new magic card. "I activate ante card, now we both pick a card; the card with the highest attack wins, while the loser wins a thousand life points." Brett picked his magic card double summon, while Para picked Gate Guardian. Brett lost another 1000 life points; while another rope was cut; the girls screamed again as the situation got worse. Para ended his turn; Brett and Chazz traded places while Brett whispered to him. "Time to win this duel Chazz. Go for it, destroy them!"

Chazz nodded with a big smile, while drawing his next card at the same time. "Ok you bunch of rhyming losers; you guys are finished now. I summon my X Head Canon in attack mode, and destroying your little Canon thingy. Guess my machine cannon is better then your scrap pile." Chazz had a much bigger smile now that they had the upper hand; "now I place one last trap or magic card and end my turn."

Dox walked up drawing another card. "Finally, now you shall face the thunder, as I now play my Soul Exchange so we both tribute a monster so I chose my Spear Cretin" as Chazz looked at Brett as he nodded "I choose my Marshmellon."

"Now I can summon my all powerful, Sanga of Thunder." The two paradox brothers laughed harder and harder till Chazz spoke up. "You fools, you just allowed us to win. I activate my Ring of Destruction; and I just happen to pick you're Sanga." As the ring attached to Sanga's arm; the monster struggled against it as it blew up. 2600 life points were removed from each team.

It cut Chazz and Brett's life points to 400 points; the Paradox brothers dropped to 2300 life points. More ropes were cut as only one was left intact, and the girls rope aloud them to fall slightly closer their fate bellow. Dox looked at his hand, there was nothing he could do; and he was wide open. All he could do was end his turn; completely disgust of how this team of duelists, who hated one another earlier yet worked together.

Brett stepped up drawing his last card he needed to win. "You guys are the worst kind of people; if you want me, go for me and never try to hurt the people I care about. I summon Red Eyes Black Chick and activate his effect; allowing me to summon my Red Eyes Black Dragon from my hand." Brett paused for a moment; smiling at Blair before continuing. "People as evil as you could never win; finish them Red Eyes." The dragon shot a blast of fire at their opponents; dropping there life points to zero.

The duel was over, and Brett breathed a sigh of relief, then he felt a mass amount of energy was drained. The band around each of the duelists that partook in the duel glowed; Brett and the others felt incredibly weak. Chazz however ran forward; despite the loss of energy, trying to save Alexis and be the hero again.

Dox swung his foot knocking Chazz off his feet. Para grabbed Chazz throwing him across the field landing near Jaden. "Brett you shall have to get through us to save them; we have even decided to be generous. You have a several minutes to save them. Do you think you can do it?" Brett removed his duel disk tossing it back to Jaden. "Guys stay out of this; ok?" The others stayed back watching from a far; Jaden held Brett's duel disk, the timer began to count down. Brett quickly stretched before getting into ready stance; steadying him self for the fight to come.

Song 2 Chateau

"Get him!" said the brothers. Brett tossed his duel disk as the brothers ran towards him beginning to throw punches. The brothers split up, each taking an opposite side to Brett. Each of the punches flew close as Brett started using his hands to block most of oncoming punches, while dodging other punches. Brett narrowly dodged each one before doing a backwards flip, gaining some distance allowing him to regroup. Britney never knew Brett was this good of a fighter. The Para Dox brothers took a step forward straightening their right arms; a small dagger flew into each of their right hands.

Brett gritted his teeth; running towards the brothers. The brothers began swiping with their daggers, attacking only from the front. They moved around one another looking for openings, slashing in every direction. Each of the swipes came quicker as Brett narrowly dodged the next slash by Dox. Para took the other side as he slashed Brett's arm. Brett parried each of the next series of slashes using only his hands, before spinning around Dox. Dox swung the opposite way with his dagger; Brett moved his hand around blocking the blade. Everyone could not believe Brett stopped the dagger. Brett got closer, elbowing Dox in the stomach knocking him down.

Brett grabbed Dox's dagger, clenching it while blood dripped from his hand. Para ran forward jumping over his brother; Brett was forced to back up, giving Para room. After a brief moment the fight resumed; Para and Brett each slashed with the daggers. Each time the daggers connected with incredible force, causing both to pull away. Slashes flew threw the air while Brett slowly led them away from the cliff. Each of the following slashes became far more violent. Dox recovered getting up and running to Para's aid. Para continued to slash each time the blade moving faster, and faster.

Dox stood back waiting for a chance to join, watching the fight unfold. The slashes continued; Brett studied the moves of Para. Para continued the assault; quickly becoming increasingly furious with the lack of hits on his opponent. Para leaped forward blade out; Brett dodged the blade as it went past his face. Brett flipped his blade; cutting Para's hand causing both blades to fly through the air. Brett did a backwards roll; catching each of the daggers. Brett rose to his feet; tossing both blades well off the cliff. Para and Dox regrouped and were now side by side.

They both looked at him, angered since they were losing to their opponent. Dox ran jumping into the air while Brett moved out of the way; sidestepping out of the way. Para ran in, throwing punches while Dox threw kicks at Brett. Brett could only parry, before dodging two simultaneous attacks. Brett knocked both opponents back with his fists; the brothers flew through the air, landing on their feet.

Brett paused, allowing him to get ready to end the fight. Brett used his hand to motion Dox forward, and Dox took the invitation; using another ju6mping kick while Brett rolled forward dodging easily. Para circled Brett; striking right after Dox with his feet. Para ducked and turned using a sweeping kick; Brett jumping over Para's leg. Brett continued to dodge as the battle continued; Brett threw another punch into Dox knocking him back. Para continued onward with the assault.

Dox recovered quickly; running towards them. Brett noticed, quickly turning to Para as he grabbed his punch, pushing him slightly backwards. Para quickly ran towards Brett again; Brett turned landing his foot on Dox's leg. Leaping up into the air; beginning to spin his body in the air. Brett's leg whipped around; knocking both brothers out cold with his foot.

Brett looked over to see that time was almost up. Only ten seconds remained. Blair and Alexis screamed for Brett to save them. Brett ran; the time still continuing to count down. Brett hurried as the band sucked more energy from him, but the band showed no effect on Brett. Brett was only a few meters when the timer hit zero. The final blade was released; cutting the last rope, leaving the girls to fall to their demise. The girls began to scream at the top of their lungs; tears falling from their eyes.

Brett was focused and determined to end this situation. His eyes focused on the rope, the only way to save the girls. Brett slid off the cliff, his right hand digging into the ground; while the left grabbed the loose rope, quickly whipping it around his hand multiple times. His hand dug into the ground; the weight of the girls became evident when the rope went tense.

Brett cried out in blistering pain; the ground went into Brett's open wound. Brett's wound was emanating blistering pain. Brett closed his eyes tightly; trying to forget the large amount of pain he was enduring. Blair and Alexis noticed immediately they were no longer falling. They stopped crying and screaming; looking up to see Brett hanging off the edge of the cliff. Brett was the only thing holding them up; stopping from falling into the ocean. They both shouted at the top of their lungs; "Brett!"

Jaden and the others got to the cliff in a hurry. Jaden got down on his knees grabbing onto Brett's arm. "Brett hold on we will get al of you out of this. You ok Brett?" Jaden asked. Britney arrived at the edge of the cliff; shouting immediately, "Brett be careful! If you die I don't think I could go on with my life."

Brett laughed a bit at Britney's comment before speaking up; "stay back guys, I have no clue if this cliff can support me and the girls; let alone all of you. Listen Hasleberry and Jaden, go to my right. I'm going to swing the girls up; do not worry about me till they are safe, got it!"

Brett began slowly swinging the rope back and forth, the girls began to move. Slowly the girls gained speed; rising higher and higher. "Are you guys already up there, and down there?"

"We're ready up here;" Jaden and Hasleberry responded; the girls shouted nodded. The girls still terrified for their lives.

Slowly speed built up getting closer and closer, till Brett yelled loudly. Taking one last powerful swing; throwing a slight curve moving the girls to the cliff. The girls flew up through the air; right onto the cliff as Jaden and Hasleberry caught the girls out of mid air. Throwing the girls had caused Brett too sway too much; he lost his grip. Brett began to fall towards the ocean, when he felt a hand grab his.

Brett looked up to see Jesse with a firm grasp on his hand. Jesse smiled before stating, "you did not think you were going to die a hero, then I guess you will be sorry too say you got to live." Jesse began to pull Brett; the cut Brett's hand had coated Brett's hand in his own blood. Slowly Brett began to slip through Jesse's hand. "Brett hold on!" Jesse yelled as Brett continued to slip through Jesse's finger.

Jesse struggled to hold on but it was impossible for him to hold on. Brett's hand parted from Jesse's; Brett began to fall downwards to the rocks bellow. Brett quickly shoved his hand into the side of the cliff. Brett came to a stop 12 feet bellow the edge of the cliff. Brett screamed from the pain as his body hung from the cliff.

"Brett hold on we will get you back up!" Jesse got up looking for a solution. Jesse went over to the crane; taking one of the blades used to cut the ropes. He ran over to the tied up girls; cutting the girls loose. Jesse searched the ground, grabbing the longest segment of rope, running back to the cliff. Jesse let the rope hang down behind Brett. "Brett grab on!"

Brett rapped his free arm around the rope multiple times. Brett wrapped the rope around five times, before pulling his arm out of the cliff. The weight nearly caused Jesse to fall off the edge; Jim came from behind Jesse grabbing the rope. "Don't worry mate, not going to let anyone else get hurt today;" Jim stated to Jesse.

Jesse and Jim slowly pulled Brett up, slowly getting him onto the cliff and into safety. Brett crawled away from the cliff, completely out of it. Brett had used all the energy he had left in his body trying to stay alive. Jesse and Jim slowly helped Brett onto his feat. The two guys helped Brett away from the cliff. Jesse and Jim each had one of Brett's arm over their shoulder. The girls were standing sidelines watching the ordeal; Chazz finally got back up from his crash landing, wondering what had happened. Blair ran over to Brett shouting in a panic, "Brett are you ok?" Brett did not answer; he was unconscious from the loss of energy. Blair became increasingly worried, shouting louder; "Brett!"

Jaden ran over comforting Blair, "don't worry he's just tired. I would be too after that kind of workout." Blair looked up at Jaden; Jaden turned to Jesse, "we should get him to the infirmary right away."

As everyone left, the Paradox brother slowly got up. They were in pretty bad shape; they got up leaving to see their employer, they wanted their reward after this set of events.

When they arrived at the old building where they first meet their employer; they entered the main entrance to see Viper. "We did your job, and did it right" as the Paradox brothers switched; "so pay us now, or we will have to fight."

"You morons, you nearly gave up my identity and came close to destroying my plan. You may have gathered a ton of energy from that foolish boy. While this is essential to my plan, you created suspicion in that boy. You failed me, and as for that fact their can only be one reward…" Viper paused, pressing a button on a remote, dropping the brothers into a pit. Viper laughed as the trap door closed; "Never take a job you cannot finish properly. I will have to distract that boy away from my trail; I think Jaden shall be my next target."

Chapter 6 True Love VS Worship; A Duel for Love

Song Splinter Of Sadness

Brett forced his eyes slightly open, despite his weakened state just after he had lost consciousness. Brett forced them open to see Blair in Jaden's arms; his heart caused sharp pain with each beat. Brett was unhappy with this; but if she was safe then nothing else mattered, even if she chose Jaden.

Brett awoke moments later to find him self in a white room; barren of any life. It had no ceiling, no walls, no floor, no beginning, and no end. Brett turned around looking for anything, and then he turned back to see a man completely shrouded by darkness. "So you continue to defy you're purpose. You have taken the first step now you shall begin to awaken. That is if you want to have the strength to protect that which you love. I will unlock your true power; so that one day I will claim it."

The shadow leapt at Brett; he woke, sitting upright at an alarming rate. Slowly his heart rate returned to normal; he calmed him self wondering if the dream was real. Brett questioned who that man was; he calmed his mind before he came back to reality. He looked around and saw that he was in the infirmary; it was late in the day, but the sun was just beginning to set.

Despite Brett's wounds; his body did not feel pain from his wounds. He un-bandaged his hand, to see the cut on his hand vanished; his hand was completely fine. Brett was still in his normal clothes, but was bandaged up where the cuts were on his body. Brett saw his duel disk on the table; he got out of bed getting his duel disk and putting on his shoes. Suddenly Blair came around the corner, gasping at the sight of Brett being so soon after his last duel. "Brett are you ok, you should not be out of bed so soon after what happened."

"Oh, so the hero is up so soon." Mrs. Fontaine appeared as well; giving a small laugh after she spoke. "So you are feeling well? You've only been asleep for six hours, and that is not nearly enough rest for your wounds." Brett gave no pause; he immediately responded showing his hand to both ladies. "I'm fine, there's no need to worry about me. My wounds have healed; I will stop being a burden and leave."

Blair was sad to see him just leave; her head tilted down, she was very concerned with Brett. Mrs. Fontaine saw Blair looking sad, and realized what was happening between the two. Mrs. Fontaine spoke up to Brett, trying to stop him from making a mistake. "Brett I'm sorry but I cannot let you go by yourself. Everyone has heard all about what you did; so if I just let you go and something would happen I would be to blame. Maybe Blair should go with you; and you two should just go somewhere should go somewhere private to talk. I mean Blair probably has to thank you, and I'm sure she would not mind taking care of you."

Blair's head perked right up; she nodded and Brett stopped looking back at them. "See Blair wants too and I will not take no for answer from you Brett. You are putting yourself in far too much danger; it would be good to have someone looking after you. Even a hero needs someone to help him." Brett looked down knowing that he was not a hero, but Blair soon latched onto his arm leading him somewhere.

Brett had no time to protest; he was quickly swept away by Blair. Mrs. Fontaine sat down on the bed; hopping that this would break the barrier between the two. "Well that should give them some time alone. I hope Blair is able get close; those two are cute couple."

Mrs. Fontaine had spoken with Blair while Brett was asleep; Mrs. Fontaine knew at that point Blair had feelings for Brett. She had her reasons mainly because she thought they were a good match; Brett obviously cared deeply for Blair as well. Mrs. Fontaine also thought about the other girl who came who continually to the infirmary; proclaiming her love for Brett. Blair only appeared to be sad each time that this girl pretending to be in love with him. But she had given them a chance to be alone away from everyone.

Suddenly the door burst open; Britney came in, shouting. "Oh Brett, your girlfriend is here." She came over to Brett's be; but she only saw Mrs. Fontaine sitting on the bed questioning the older woman. "Where is Brett?" Mrs. Fontaine shrugged trying to slow the girl's pursuit.

Britney was no fool; Blair was not here either and she was not going to let that runt win. "That shrew, she's trying to steal him from me. That's it; I'm going to teach her a lesson, and then Brett will be mine." Britney's eyes filled up with fiery fury as she ran out the door. Mrs. Fontaine knew there was going to be trouble eventually; hopefully Blair would return the favor for Brett. Hopefully Blair and Brett had a big enough lead.

Song End

Song Lucrecia Cresent

Both Blair and Brett arrived at the abandoned dorm. It was dark and creepy; but students were not supposed to be there, so it would be peaceful place for the two to talk. Blair led him deep into the old dorm; they sat down on the main floor, backs against the wall.

As they sat Blair leaned her head on Brett. Blair was enjoying being beside her hero; Brett was still lost in thought about everything that was going on. Blair broke the silence, speaking in gentle voice that grabbed Brett's attention. "Brett thank you so much for saving me yesterday, I can never repay you for what you did. You should not have put your self in so much danger for me, you could have been seriously injured."

Brett still sat there quietly for a moment; he was even more depressed that he had caused Blair more grief. "It was my fault you were in that position in the first place. If I had left the island you would have been safe. Blair I'm sorry for putting you in that situation; you do not have to accept me as your burden."

"No it's not you're fault Brett!" Blair shouted getting right in front of him. She knew Brett was beating him self up because he thought he was the only reason she was in danger. Suddenly a hand came right across Brett's face as a loud smack was heard snapping Brett out of his mood. Blair's eyes watered as she spoke in a trembling voice. "You did everything in your power to save me, and you did it by yourself. You belong here with us."

Blair was almost crying right in front of him; Brett got up bringing her back over to the wall as they sat back down. He put his arm around her shoulders; she leaned against him. Brett spoke again "I'm sorry Blair, thanks for being hear with me, it really does mean a lot to me." Blair stopped crying; she closed her eyes relaxing against Brett, she loved to be by her hero.

They sat there for a few minutes before Blair began speak to Brett. "Brett? Last year when we dueled in the tournament, did you surrender to me because you liked me?" Brett paused for a moment before responding; "yes that is why I surrendered. When we dueled; I wanted to show you how good I was, but I never wanted to hurt you. Then afterwards when Chazz beat you and I heard about Jaden, he became my obsession. I wanted to beat him to prove I was better so I could get your attention."

Brett smiled before he continued; "but I became a monster because of my obsession. That's why the way I was at the start of the year, I cannot say how…"

Blair pulled on his arm tight, enough to get Brett to stop and look over at Blair. She began to speak to Brett still in a soft voice; "Brett I do not want you apologizing. I know the others all like you; they know you were not yourself. You do not have to apologize for anything that has happened. You never had to apologize for me getting kidnapped because you did everything to save me." Blair looked up at him; she smiled as Brett pulled her in tight.

Blair was shivering since the dorm was cold; the sun had gone down and it was getting even colder. Brett got up taking off his sweater, all he had under was tee shirt on underneath. He threw his sweater over Blair's shoulders; Blair immediately felt much warmer. "Thank you Brett" Blair said before Brett sat down; putting his arm over her shoulder.

Blair loved how nice Brett was being, he was such a gentleman. Blair looked up at him as she saw a silver necklace on Brett. "Brett I never knew that you had a necklace." Blair sounded surprise; Brett took his free left hand, taking off the necklace giving it to Blair to look at.

Blair took the necklace; it was a normal silver necklace but attached was a ring. The ring was a fair size; but light as a feather. In the center was a gem Blair had never seen before, and was surrounded by eight other gems. They each where a different color but where all square, most were recognizable. The center gem was black, but it looked like cracks of light green light appeared. They soon disappeared as more little gleams of green light appeared. Blair's eyes lit up as she spoke; "this is the most beautiful ring I have ever seen, where did you get this."

"I've had this since I could remember. The day the person who adopted me found me; they found me with this. Doctors guessed I was thirteen but I had nothing but the clothes on my back and my ring. There was no information but I had knowledge of everything; except for where I came from. That was four years ago; but then I was introduced dueling. My name just came to my mind; but through dueling, I found purpose and some other things that became important." Blair was staring directly at Brett, while he was telling his story.

Brett snapped out of his retelling; looking at Blair who was focused on him holding the ring tightly, trying not to drop it. Brett closed his eyes, knowing Blair liked it; "why don't you hold onto it for me." Blair shook her head; "No I could never hold onto something so important for you. I just never knew that about you, you never had any parents?"

"None that I can remember. I was never close to adoptive father either." Brett shook his head; Blair handed him his necklace back. While Brett put his necklace back on Blair began to speak. "I really enjoyed this time alone with you. I have not had any real time with you." Blair knew she had to thank Mrs. Fontaine; she continued to speak wanting to express more of her feelings to Brett. "You know Brett we need to spend more time together. I would really like to spend more time with you, and get to know you better."

Song End

Brett felt his cheeks go red with embarrassment; Brett had wanted to get close but did not know how to, and now Blair had done what he could not. The room was silent; but the silence was short lived by Britney who burst into the room, shouting loudly. "You boyfriend stealing little witch; why did you kidnap Brett away from me. You just want to steal him away because you cannot have him, so back off!"

Britney became erratic; continuing to shout at the top of her lungs with passion inhabiting her vice. "I'm going to kick you're ass unless you leave Brett alone. He is MY BOYFRIEND! You could never be as perfect for him as me." Blair got up of the ground; she began to counter Britney's statements with passion inhabiting her own voice. "Brett does not want to be with you, he never liked you. You are just a stalker, he would rather be with me because I care about him as a person, not some promotional tool."

Britney was angry, but so was Blair. They both stood across from one another, a fair distance apart. Brett quickly got up running in between the girls saying; "girls stop this there is no need to fight."

Britney prepped her duel disk as she spoke "no, we end this now, and when I win Blair is never allowed near you again! I want Brett for myself." Blair laughed, before yelling at Britney. "You win? You are going to lose because the power of true love is on my side. And I accept but when I win you are to stop this fake love thing with Brett and leave him alone. My love deck will be you; I care too much about Brett to let you have him."

"Oh how cute you think you like him more then me; how amusing to think an ugly runt like you could give" smirked Britney. Brett was still in the middle trying to stop a brawl that might break out. "Girls I am not worth this much trouble. I'm not worth fighting over;" but he was silenced as both girls shouted at the top of their lungs, the words "YES YOU ARE!"

Brett stood their shocked and embarrassed; he had two beautiful girls fighting over him, and they both wanted him a lot. Brett could take on duelists with swords but there was more danger in getting in the way of this fight then his previous one. He slowly turned getting out of the way; he moved over to a nearby pillar. He arrived at the pillar; turning around and leaning against it. He figured it wise to stay out of this; both started the duel as Blair said "I will go first. Since the saying goes, ladies first." Britney snarled shooting back "you little witch, go first it does not matter. I will win whether you go first or second."

Blair drew her sixth card; she placed a monster facedown defense position, while placing two traps face down as well. Blair ended her turn, leaving Britney to start the insulting. "That is it" Britney gave pause letting a small feminine laugh. "You're not very good at anything are you? It's a disgusting thought, you with Brett. He would rather a pretty girl anyway." Blair did not hesitate to join in the game; "No you haunting him for the rest of his days is a disgusting thought. And Brett has already chosen me over you; so he has a beautiful girl by his side, now duel."

Britney drew a card before playing Cost Down magic card. She discarded a card from her hand allowing her to make the requirements for stronger monsters negate. She then summoned the Dark Magician Girl in attack mode. "You know this card is so me; so beautiful, so popular, so smart, and graceful and she is going to crush you. Just like I'm going to do right now; so attack DMG."

The magician raised her staff summoning dark magic to gather above her staff. It was hurled towards Blair's hidden monster. When the monster exploded Blair laughed, "You just destroyed my D. D. Warrior Lady. So now both of our monsters are removed from play. Looks like you are pretty upset; course my monster just trounced a version of you. Just like I'm going to do to you."

Britney scowled before ending her turn; Blair quickly drew her next card. She summoned her old deck's signature card. The Maiden in Love appeared in attack mode and began to attack; taking away 400 life points from Britney. But it barely hurt Britney, and Blair ended her turn again.

Britney took this as an opportunity of a weak monster being Blair's only defense. She drew the card she needed to really put the hurt on this opponent. Britney smiled before saying; "you know there is a reason why my deck is called bodyguards. I have filled my deck with strong monsters that worship me; and strong knights who would give their lives for me. While you beat the card that is supposed to be me; but how will you do with the card I consider to be Brett."

"I activate my Black Luster Ritual, so all I do is send my Gate Guardian to the graveyard so I can summon this, the Black Luster Soldier. He is so good looking he just screams Brett; my strong and brave knight in shinning armor. Just like in real life he is with me." Blair smiled while she began to speak; "well he may be on your side, but love will open his eyes to the truth. I promise you just like in real life I will bring him to me."

Britney just brushed Blair's comment away; she played one trap card declaring an attack with her soldier. The monster came down on Blair's monster, but she only lost 1100 life points. "What, you cheated, why did that happen, your monster should be destroyed." Blair laughed again saying "Well my monster cannot be destroyed if it is attack mode, next I activated shrink causing your monsters attack power to be cut in half. Last your monster get's a heart counter too; and as for what it does, you shall find out."

Britney ended her turn; Blair drew another card. She started by saying, " first I use the spell card Snatch and Steal" but Britney interrupted. "No you will not, because Magic Jammer stops you're card after I discard a card to the grave. You honestly never thought that would work; did you?" Blair shook her head; "of course not. You cannot force someone to love you; I wanted to show you that before I beat you. I saw your trap but now real love will bring Brett to me. Now I play my Cupids Kiss magic card and it attaches to your Black Luster Soldier. Next I end my turn."

Britney took over drawing a monster that was no use to her; she scowled at her hand of monsters that needed sacrifices. She commanded her Black Luster Soldier to battle again. Again Blair activated another Shrink magic card; cutting the damage down to 1100 life points. But as the battle ended, the Black Luster Soldier came over to the Blair's side of the field.

"Why is my protector siding with you?" Britney questioned as her turn ended. The score was now 1800 life points for Blair while Britney had 3600 life points; but Britney had no defense against what was about to happen.

When Blair picked up her next card, she looked at Britney speaking in a calm and collected manor. "Do you get it now, you cannot force someone to change their heart but true love has brought Brett to my side. Brett knew that attacking a real lady was wrong. Now it's time to end this! I play my Happy Marriage Card which gives my maiden the attack points of Brett; I mean the Black luster Soldier. This is the true power of love and there love right now between these two duel monsters; as real as my feelings for Brett."

Blair commanded the two to attack causing the 6400 points of damage; ending the duel with an absurd amount of damage. Blair started to speak; confident and proud of how she had fought and won for Brett. "I won so leave Brett alone…" The bands around their wrists activated cutting Blair's statement off.

Blair began to fall to the ground; Brett ran over grabbing her, and holding her in his arms. Then Britney collapsed; Brett ran over grabbing Britney with his left hand softening her landing, while Brett still held Blair in his right. Brett paused for a second, questioning to himself the situation. "What's going on? Their bracelets activated as they collapsed;" but Brett shook off his curiosity, wanting to get the girls somewhere safe.

It was pitch black outside, but it bothered Brett little. Brett carried both girls; one over each soldier, and it took him well over an hour to get to his destination. Brett arrived back at his dorm; he was tired and worn down from carrying the girls. Brett set Britney down on the ground in his room, her back to a wall. While he put Blair in his bed putting the bed sheets over her; carefully tucking her in. Brett turned to see Britney up and about to leave. "Britney are you ok?"

"I'm fine Brett; I just wanted to apologize for my rudeness. I did start to go out with you for the publicity, but I did start to like you as something more. Brett you're lucky to have her; take good care of her. She really does have a strong heart; so do not break it." Brett looked at her speaking in a quiet voice so not to awake Blair. "Britney thank you; you are a better duelist then I give credit for. But I would be honored to have you as my friend. I worry with the attempts on my life something big is about to happen. I promise though to protect my friends, and especially Blair."

Britney smiled, "I'll take you up on that, from now on will be friends ok, tell Blair she is a very lucky girl. Be careful Brett; I still do not want anything to happen to you." Britney left the room shutting the door after she left. Brett sat down in a nearby chair; soon falling asleep hoping tomorrow would be peaceful for a change. The words of that dark shadow from earlier, still haunting him.

The next morning came; Blair woke up; she put her hand on her head as she tried to remember what happened. She soon realized she was not in her room. Blair sat up as she saw Brett asleep in the chair near the bed in the middle of the room. She slowly remembered everything about the duel, including passing out afterwards. She realized that Brett must have carried her back and took care of her. She offered a gentle smile at Brett; she saw that there was no one else to be seen.

Blair was happy, ever since the duel she had come to realize how strong her feelings were for certain people. She got up taking her time; she stretched her arms and legs before sitting back down on the bed. She just sat there watching Brett sleep peacefully; he was cute asleep and he deserved the rest.

Slowly she worked up the courage to do something she had wanted to do since yesterday. She walked over to him slowly getting closer and closer. Soon she felt brave enough as she planted a kiss on Brett's lips. Just then Brett woke coming out of his sleepy state, feeling Blair's soft lips on his. Brett was completely caught of guard; he leaned back to the point his chair began to tip backwards. He fell backwards; came crashing down on the ground.

Blair walked to his side letting her hand out to help him up. Brett grabbed Blair's hand; he slowly got up Blair began to speak to him. "I finally figure a way to thank you and this is how you act. Don't tell me my face scarred you, or that you are embarrassed a pretty girl kissed you?" Brett could only come up with partial words; his face turned beat red with embarrassment. Blair grabbed onto his arm; tightly grabbing on to him, giving no way for him to escape. "Come on class will start soon and we cannot be late." Blair smiled at him; leading him out the door towards the school.


	2. Chronicles of Light Part 2

Chapter 7 Promotion and Premonitions

Chapter 7 Promotion and Premonitions

Following the events of the Britney and Blair; Brett found himself being led to school with Blair attached to his arm. When they arrived all the students were called to the front of the class right before the stage. Blair met up with Marcel in the front row, and Brett followed having been still attached to Blair. Brett never had met Marcel, but if he was Blair's friend then he was his friend as well.

Professor Viper took the stage and got right down to business; "from this point, all students in the school are required to where a bio band." The professor held up one of the bands some of the students already possessed. Viper continued to speak in a commanding voice. "The bio band will keep track of all your dueling information; you will all take part in mandatory survival duels every day till the end of the year. Any students who perform poorly will be demoted dorms, and if it you continue to show you're lack of skills then you will be expelled. Also I will be monitoring your spirits as well."

All the students were shocked about the news; but the chancellor showed no signs of concern. Brett jumped up on stage; he began to vocalize his concerns about he bands. "What a load of crap! There is something wrong with these bands, and I do not like them. I have noticed that when ever anyone with a band has lost a lot of energy. Explain this Viper!"

The statement caught Viper slightly of guard. "Well your results have been phenomenal so far, as well as anyone else who has been given the band. Every duelist with a band who has dueled has been putting all of their effort into dueling; that is why you are so tired."

"The data we have collected so far says you are far more advanced then we give you credit for. The Chancellor has recommended you to be Obelisk Blue. After all you saved Blair from that madman and the Paradox Brothers, you disserve to be honored. If you do not accept you can leave Duel Academy for the sign of disrespect." Brett paused for a moment, this was not right but he had no choice; he did not want to leave his new friends and Blair behind. "Fine, I accept this great honor."

The Chancellor lead the crowd in congratulating Brett on his promotion; after the crowd finished its applause the Chancellor began to speak to Brett. "Excellent you have made the correct choice, Brett. You will be upgraded to an Obelisk blue. You will also be the male student rep from now on, and you will aid the professors in their tasks. This is quite an honor for your first year here; your father will be quiet proud when he comes here. Now everyone who does not have one, please proceed to the stage and receive your bio band."

Class ended with each student being given a bio band to wear, and the instructions to return to their dorm. Brett left with Blair and Marcel; as they walked Blair praised Brett, but Brett was still concerned with this situation and diversion from his point. "Brett you must be amazing to be promoted two ranks at once; especially zince it has only been a few days into this school year." Marcel finally spoke snapping Brett from his deep train of thought. "Sorry I zoned out. This is wrong; it was a total distraction from the bands. Oh sorry Marcel. Thanks for the compliment but you are probably great duelist as well."

"No I'm not zat good;" Marcel's head sunk down. Brett saw this quickly replied; "maybe I can help you." Marcel was having trouble coming to terms with why a world class duelist would help him but shook his head yes. They came to the point where Brett separated from the Blair; he said his goodbyes and left.

The next two days the professors kept Brett far to busy to see any of his friends. Brett could not even get away to see Jaden when he was sent to the hospital after dueling with Axel. Brett was left to hear about the events transpiring with his friends. He missed his friends; sitting in his new dorm, hearing about events through word of mouth.

Mrs. Fontaine visited Brett; she comforted him telling him that his friends were probably missing him. She apologized for the fact the professors were taking up all her time. Brett was becoming depressed with how much he was missing. Mrs. Fontaine whispered to Brett about a massive duel event. Brett had enough of this; he was being kept away from his friends and he was not going to allow this to continue.

Mrs. Fontaine decided to help Brett sneak out; she distracted the bodyguards outside Brett's room, allowing him to leave quietly. He snuck out the window dropping three floors below, he was out and free. Brett left for the event, his duel disk armed and ready. He had heard nothing from his friends over the last few days; he was starting to become concerned about his friends.

Brett arrived at the event, noticing the banner that displayed the title; "The first Duel For Jewels?" Brett questioned. Suddenly he heard someone coming up behind him; he turned fast grabbing there arm that was reaching out to him. "AH!" Blair screamed, and Brett realized what he had done "Blair I'm so sorry; are you ok?"

Blair calmed down; Marcel came out from hiding behind her. "You scarred me half to death and I was trying to scare you. I never knew you were that fast." Brett breathed a sigh of relief trying to calm his heart down. Blair had questions though "where have you been? I have not seen you in two days; you missed a lot of stuff and none of us could get through to talk to you. None of the professors were aloud to talk to us about you. We were worried" as Blair's expression saddened showing concern for Brett. Brett smiled trying to cheer her up; "yeah they have kept me busy. They never gave me a break once, but I'm glad you guys are here. I was not happy not seeing you Blair; so with Mrs. Fontaine's aid I broke out of my room."

Brett was happy to see her, and he was even happier to be with her. He was shocked that none of the professors except for Mrs. Fontaine had told him no one was trying to see him. Brett was beginning to get lost in thought when Blair grabbed hold of him; the three duelists entered the building that was hosting the event. Inside it was very bright and the host was none other then Adrian Gecko.

Adrian was in the middle of talking when he came to a very important announcement. "Now all of you know we have special new duelists here, but one has a gift with other cards as well. I would like you all to meet Mrs. Joan Saint-Claire from France. She is my guest here tonight, and she will read the futures of two duelists in the audience tonight. And she will be using her tarot cards; and I shall let her choose the two people."

Joan came up on stage; she wore a fancy yellow dress and had long blond hair with blue eyes. She began to scour the audience looking for the right people; she was beautiful in her dress and a lot of the male population was immediately drawn to her. When she saw Brett and Blair she was suddenly drawn to them.

"Bonjour mes amis! I would like to call up that lovely couple in the back there. Please come up here!" A spot light shown down on Brett and Blair; Brett was hesitant to do this but Blair encouraged him. She led him up onto the stage, excited to hear if he wa destined to be in your future. "Well look at this couple here tonight, and one just happens to be the famous new Obelisk Blue student."

Blair was the first to get her reading; and it was positive till mixed signs came up. Joan began to speak with a calm voice. "Your future is difficult to say, the cards tell much danger will be present. But there is an angel by your side who will protect you no matter what comes. Light and darkness surround you; but a mighty force shall awaken that shall change the future will be present in your life and they are very close to you." Blair was shocked to hear this, but she smiled confidently and said "I know who the angel is and he will protect me."

Song 08 Deep Darkness of Shinra

Blair turned to Brett but he turned away closing his eyes trying to ignore Joan's prediction. Blair's reading finished; she got up pushing Brett, forcing him into the chair. Joan was overwhelmed when she felt Brett's aura. She leapt out of her chair; an expression of horror pasted across her face. "You have an aura of destruction about you. Your aura is so strong that it cannot be possibly real. I need no cards to tell me you will end up destroying many lives; tearing them apart." Joan backed away before running. Brett was the most shocked of all; Adrian broke the tension by opening the event to the duelists.

Blair comforted Brett; telling him that he was not like that. She tried to tell him that he the angel that was going to protect her, but Brett was just devastated by the fortune teller. Blair challenged Marcel to a duel but Brett was in no mood to duel. He was still questioning why Joan's statement felt correct to him? He walked over to Blair when his gaze looked past Blair, seeing something that interested him. A man in a black cape stood near the stairs. Brett stopped at Blair telling her to stay here were it was safe; he took after the man, leaving Blair to wonder what was going on.

Brett was lead up the stairs till they reached the roof. There was nobody there; Brett went to the ledge as he saw Chazz dueling. While his back was turned the man he had been chasing dropped down behind him silently. "I do not know what to make of you?" Brett turned to see the guy he was chasing just moments ago, while the man continued to talk. "A thing like you having friends and possibly being in love; you are really confusing me?"

Brett looked on confused he began to question the man. "What are you talking about? Who are you?" The man looked to the stars as he said; "I have no identity; it was stolen thousands of years ago by someone who betrayed me. But I digress; I have seen the others like you and you all are so different. You should not exist because of your purpose in this life. The reason you were created was to destroy; but so far you seem to be defying your very fate. You with the other seven are the greatest single threat; she will betray you all and open the gates to chaos. To gain what I have lost, is to end your lives."

He looked back towards Brett, spitting at the Brett before he continued to speak. "You have no memory of why, but you also have no idea of what seeks you, or what is really going on. For now you have not proven that you are the threat I believed you to be." Brett became relieved relaxing and letting down his guard as the stranger continued; "I was betrayed long ago and gave my identity away; now I want it back. I will let you live for now; I want you to lead me back to her. Your death will come on swift wings regardless of whether I leave you a live or not. I will be watching you."

A bright flash of green light emitted from the stranger; the light disappeared revealing the stranger, but Brett could not believe what he saw. The stranger now bore two angelic wings which were bright green and emanated a gentle green glow. In his left hand he held a long black and white blade; it was smooth and sharp on one side while it had large serrated look on the other side. Down the center of the blade where nine gems; all of the gems where the same size and color all embedded in the blade.

Without warning the warrior teleported forward and appeared before Brett; his right arm reached out grabbing Brett's neck lifting him up off the ground. Brett struggled in pain; he could barely breathe trying to get any air. The stranger stretched his wings out wide; he spoke in a condescending voice. "I may not be with the organization, but if you become what fate has intended you to be, I will kill you." He threw Brett into the air off the roof Brett watched as the man's wings lifted him up before flapping down sending enough force to hit Brett as it knocked the wind out of him.

With one my beat of his wings the stranger took off like a shoot. Brett fell to the ground landing in front of Jaden, Syrus, Alexis, and Jesse. He crash landed on his left arm; experiencing a massive combination of pain throughout his body. It felt like it was broken from the impact alone. Brett caused a momentary pause in the duel; Chazz and Adrian looked at what happened. Jaden and the bystanders ran over to Brett. Jaden questioned Brett with a very concerned voice. "Brett are you ok? You did just fall off the roof."

"I'm fine; some guy jumped me on the roof, but he is long since gone." Brett looked back to the roof as there were still a few green feathers floating down from the sky, before they vanishing into thin air. Alexis tried to help him up; she spoke to him telling him where they were going. "Come on your going to the infirmary; now." Brett quickly shook his head "no, something is wrong inside, we have to go check. I know something is wrong; I can feel it, and Blair is in there." Brett had felt something coming from the inside, like a massive energy drain.

Alexis agreed without argument; she helped him up to his feet. Together they walked into the building; Brett trying to hurry things along. They arrived at the main hall to see all of the duelists passed out on the floor. Brett struggled against Alexis's grip when he lay his eyes Blair; collapsed and unconscious on the floor. "Brett stop struggling, we will go back and get Jaden to come help; then we have to get you to the infirmary to see if your arm is broken."

Brett thought to what Joan and the man with the wings said; he was going to fight his supposed fate. He broke free of Alexis before he ran over to Blair; he lifted her onto his shoulder. Brett turned back to look at Alexis; he smiled at her. "I told you I'm fine Alexis; I know you are worried but I refuse to leave Blair behind."

Song End

Alexis walked over to Brett; she put her left hand on Brett's right cheek. Slowly she leaned in kissing him on the other cheek; she got even closer whispering gently into Brett's ear. "Just don't forget that there are other people who love and care about you as well. I know you have very strong feelings for Blair; but do not end up pushing your self to the point your life is in danger."

Brett blushed before he put his head down; he was speechless about Alexis having kissed him. She was indeed beautiful; but he had never thought of Alexis like that. "I never got that impression, I thought you guys had forgotten me. And thank you for the kiss." Alexis looked shocked, but was blushing at the same time as well. "You never got are messages? We were concerned and tried getting in contact; but whenever we tried to see you, we were told you were busy. I'm sorry for not trying harder but we were told by Viper's orders you were not to be seen." Brett bowed his head "I'm stupid, I actually doubted my friendship with you guys."

Alexis stood beside him; she put her hand gently on his free shoulder. "Just never forget we are you're friends ok; what that girl said about you is not true. I know who you are; you are Brett, our friend." It was what Brett needed hear, he snapped out of his depressed state. "Alexis I'm glad you are my friend; if there is anything I can ever do, just ask me. Come on let's got but you need to get Marcel; I cannot leave him behind." Alexis nodded to Brett before she picked up Marcel; carrying him in both hands.

Outside they met Jaden and the others; explaining what had transpired inside. Chazz had not yet finished his duel; Jaden offered to help Brett, but Brett refused his help stating that others needed the help more then him. Alexis and Brett left for the infirmary; Alexis glanced over to Brett every few moments to check on him. Alexis was still concerned; but she had already crossed a line with him. She did not want him to know the extent of her feelings; mainly because Brett was clearly in love with Blair.

When they arrived at the infirmary; Blair was put in a bed while Marcel was put in the other. Brett was examined by Mrs. Fontaine, but she found no evidence of injuries. Brett and the others stayed that night as they watched over their friends. Alexis continually kept an eye on Brett; he was constantly putting himself in danger, and she wanted to protect him.

On top of the school stood another man in draped in a black cape. He looked to the sky; his hand brushed his hair before he spoke in a strong male voice. "Numbers 13 and 22 have failed, but they were never good enough to be considered part of our organization. I shall wait for the proper time to strike him down. Unlike those morons I will prove my rank.; and that good planning and overwhelming an enemy is the key. I promise to you my leader, he will fall and his soul will be ours."

Chapter 8 Changing the Rules

Brett and rest of the guys stayed at the infirmary for the rest of night. The next morning came; bringing many students to the infirmary for medical attention after the massive duel event. It was all to clear now to everyone that Viper was behind all of this. Everyone confronted the now acting head of the school Professor Crowler and Professor Napoleon. Brett was the first to begin an assault of statements; "what do you mean the Chancellor is gone?"

"Exactly what we said, the Chancellor has just left" Crowler said, Jesse just looked at him while speaking "well he picked a fine time to go a wall. I mean we have an entire school of students who are dropping like flies."

Napoleon was sweating like mad; he had no idea how to run this school, or make an executive decision. "Fine then what do you purpose we do about this situation?" Napoleon questioned, but Jaden already knew exactly what they had do. "We have to find Viper and get him to pay for what he has done. Only when Viper is beaten will all of the bio bands stop draining our energy."

Crowler looked worried, he was the adult in charge but he had no courage to hunt down Viper. "Very well you and your friends shall go hunt down Viper, which is my decision." Crowler and Napoleon smiled knowing they had dodged danger and responsibility again. "Yes I agree with my colleague, you shall find this mad man. Now bonne voyage!" The two professors left the office saying they had important matters to attend too; leaving Jaden and his friends to find and deal with Viper.

"Wells that is just great they want us to find the crazed lunatic who is endangering lives" Jesse said with a sigh. Jaden got a call on his PDA; saying that Adrian was awake, and that he had information on Viper's whereabouts. Jaden and the others began to run to Adrian's room; Jaden looked back at Brett who stood perfectly still. "Brett you coming, I thought you would want to get even with Viper after what he has done?"

Brett looked up; he was incredibly conflicted about which path was correct. He could go defeat Viper or stay and help the students. "I think it would be best if I stayed here. I may be able to help more here, then if I go with you. Jaden you'll be fine; you have Alexis, Jesse, Jim, Syrus, Hasleberry, and god knows who else will join you on your quest." Jaden looked at him in question "you sure?" Brett just nodded; "Jaden this your fight; you are the person who has to end this. Not that I would not mind fighting Viper." Brett turned leaving for the infirmary; Jaden and his group left in the other direction, going to see Adrian.

Brett arrived at the infirmary; he arrived to see an incredibly long line up of students who all looked in rough shape. Brett entered the infirmary; only to see Crowler talking to Mrs. Fontaine. "What would you like me to do about it; we simply have too many injured students hanging around. We simply do not have the supplies or manpower to heal this many students." Mrs. Fontaine sighed, feeling vastly overwhelmed by the work ahead of her. Brett stepped up speaking in a confident voice. "I'm going to help if that is ok with you Mrs. Fontaine. I don't know too much, but I'll do what I can; I do know some things about the body."

Mrs. Fontaine smiled at Brett; she was happy to hear him with confidence in him for once. "Thank you Brett, but where is Jaden and the others. Shouldn't you be with them?" Brett looked out the window; he spoke in a quieter voice. "They went after Viper." "They went after Viper?" Mrs. Fontaine questioned, with a stunned look at Brett. "Who let them go? That is far too dangerous for students to do; especially if Viper is really behind these duel incidents."

Brett turned and pointed to Crowler; "he did, he gave them the permission to hunt Viper down." Crowler freaked out at how much trouble he was in. Brett continued; he closed his eyes before he continued to speak. "It's Jaden's fight; he is the hero who will defeat Viper. He will be fine, I doubt we really have to worry that much. How is Blair?" Mrs. Fontaine turned looking at Blair "Blair and Marcel are fine, they just need more rest." Brett nodded, happy Blair was alright; Crowler snuck out of room while Brett and Mrs. Fontaine, running down the hall to hide.

The next four hours, Brett helped Mrs. Fontaine through the army of injured duelists. Mrs. Fontaine could not believe how skilled Brett was; either he was shy about his skill, or he was a very quick study. Regardless, Brett quickly got through more students then Mrs. Fontaine did; he easily and quickly diagnosed each of the students that he examined. Soon the line was down too only a few students, but Fontaine was worried. Even she had taken a break; but Brett was barely showing any signs of fatigue.

Blair slowly awakened getting up feeling completely recovered; she sat up and saw Brett finished helping a student, sending the student on his way. But then it hit him, a aura that was powerful, and it was coming from the old research facility. The aura forced him to his knees, it felt evil. Blair and Mrs. Fontaine rushed to his side. Mrs. Fontaine spoke with serious concern in her voice. "You have been working for hours non stop; you need to take a break. I thank you for all your help but you are only hurting yourself now."

"I'm not tired; something is about to be unleashed. I have to go now!" Brett got up running towards the exit Blair grabbed his arm pulling him back. Brett turned around to see what was holding him back; he turned around when Blair leaned in kissing him on the lips. Brett was speechless, but Blair was the first to break the scientist. "You saved me again; just promise you come back safe ok?" "Brett thank you for all your help, and be careful" Mrs. Fontaine said to Brett seconds after Blair finished. "I will, stay inside the school" Blair told Brett before he ran out the door.

Blair looked at the door; watching Brett leave to go help his other friends. "He's been pushing himself too hard hasn't he?" Mrs. Fontaine questioned Blair; her face smiling when she saw Brett was still the same. "Looks like that time alone with you did him a lot of good."

"He has been straining himself a bit" Mrs. Fontaine spoke, but Blair looked to the door; starring into space, wondering if he would be ok. Only a few words escaped Blair's lips; "sounds like Brett. He is always going beyond his limits; like he has an unlimited supply of energy. I can only hope he truly does; I do not want to see him injured again." "I was surprised when he carried you in with a sprained arm, but today he helped me with a hundred patients, and now he is off to help Jaden." Blair continued to stare at the door; almost like Brett was about to walk in at any moment. Mrs. Fontaine knew she could only comfort the maiden who was in love with Brett. "He will be fine Blair, he is special."

Brett had left the school running as fast as he could, to the aid his friends. His senses screamed to him saying that something evil was coming from that research center. Brett finally arrived at the center; the entire facility was locked down tight so that no one could enter or escape. He had to find a way in; he searched the premises before finding a latter that led him to the roof.

Brett stood on the roof scouring for a way to get in. Then the roof began to move; splitting into two pieces. Brett quickly noticed; running to the separating center of the roof. He looked down to see a helicopter platform raising from the black abyss. Brett jumped in the widening hole; landing in the center of the platform, standing between Viper and Jaden. "Viper, what are you trying to unleash?" Brett questioned Viper; he laughed before he answered Brett, saying "wouldn't you like too know." "Viper I have had it with these games!" Brett yelled; he ran forward towards Viper launching a fist at Viper.

Brett's fist landed right in Vipers palm doing no damage. Viper laughed as he grabbed Brett's fist; swinging him around before he tossed Brett far back as far as he could. Brett came crashing to the ground; only inches away from falling off the platform. "This is between me and Jaden, and you shall get you're answer one way or another." Viper stated; Alexis ran over to Brett who was not far away from the edge. "You ok, I thought you were not partaking in this" Alexis said as she smiled at Brett. "Alexis were in big trouble. Something is coming is growing and I can feel its presence from the school."

Alexis helped Brett back over to the others. Hasleberry rushed over to aid Alexis; he put Brett's other arm over his shoulder. Hasleberry asked Brett; "Is it Viper that you sensed?" "No it is something else" Brett was able to stand without aid; Jaden turned saying "Glad you came, but leave this to me."

There was little Brett could do besides watch the duel take place. The duel was long, with each opponent trumping the other constantly. Viper summoned and sacrificed legions of snake monsters all for his victory. Soon though it came down to do or die, as Jaden pulled the card he needed to finish the duel. Jaden won as the bio band took effect draining both duelists energy. This time a pillar of light engulfed the research center. Everyone opened their eyes to view a glowing gold outline of a boy with a monster claw in front of Viper.

"My boy, you have come back!" Viper said as his eyes began to water. "This is your reward for serving me; it is just too bad you failed me Viper." Viper's expression turned to fear as he was engulfed in light. The field of light spread across more of the island; a bright flash forced Brett and everyone were forced to shield there eyes.

When the light; faded they were no longer on Duel Academy Island, but in a large desert that stretched as far as anyone could see. Viper was gone, and there was no trace that he ever existed. They were still a top the platform in the middle of a desert, but behind them was Duel Academy with part of the mountain attached. Jaden looked around; he tried to lighten the mood as he jokingly said. "I don't think were in Kansas anymore."

Brett looked off into the distance; he scanned the whole are before he replied added to Jaden's comment. "I don't think were on earth anymore." Brett pointed to three suns in the sky, and it was obvious to everyone that something was very wrong.

"Duel Academy is still here though, and we are still a top the platform, and Viper is gone. Think it had something to do with that glowing figure." Brett shrugged at Alexis's comment; before responding. "That is not important; we have to get back to the school. There is going to be a lot of worried people, and confused about this state of affairs." Jesse looked over to Brett; he knew why Brett wanted to get back. "Worried about Blair?" Brett nodded; then the tower sunk into the sand slightly putting it on a slight slant.

Everyone stabled them selves from the slight collapse; he walked to the ledge as he jumped of landing on his feet like it the drop was nothing. "Alright you guys before that tower collapses; jump!" as Jim, Jesse, and Hasleberry jumped off landing without problem.

Alexis was about to jump but she slipped on the metal surface she began to scream falling towards the earth. Brett heard Alexis; he ran under her catching her out of the air. He set her on her feat; she was slightly blushing but she thanked Brett for saving her. Syrus jumped down too landing in Hasleberry's arms. Jaden who was still week slipped as well on the metal surface; Jaden yelled for someone to catch him.

Brett instinctively heard the cry for help and knew he had to help; he positioned himself under Jaden catching him. Jaden looked at Brett as he sarcastically said, "Oh my hero!" Brett was so shocked and embarrassed, that he just dropped Jaden on the ground. Jaden came crashing down. Recovering from the pain; Jaden looked up at Brett and asked; "what? Something I said?" Brett turned away, trying to regain his composure before he said; "come on guys let's get moving."

The group set out heading back to the school. They walked for a bit before the tower came crashing down behind them. Brett did not even bother to look back; but then he was able to hear moaning coming from nearby. He looked around and saw Axel under a pile of ruble. Everyone rushed over to help Axel; Jaden looked on concerned for Axel. "You ok Axel?" Axel looked up; trying to look tough; but he weakly spoke. "I'm fine but think you could get me out of here?"

Hasleberry and Jim tried to lift the ruble, but the large slabs barely move. Brett stepped up grabbing the slab as he flipped over the large slab holding Axel in place, almost effortlessly. "Wow Brett I never knew you were that strong" Jesse said; Brett looked at his hands before he answered Jesse. "Neither did I; this strength, where did it come from. Never mind; let's get going."

The now slightly larger group continued to travel; the heat from the suns was starting to become evident with each meter they traveled. They approached the school when Winged Kuriboh appeared clear as day; the creature motioning to the school before flying off. "That was weird the heat must be getting to me, I thought I just saw Winged Kuriboh" Alexis said; sighing from the extreme heat. Brett shook his head defiantly; "No that was real; and look that person is under attack. Come on Jesse we better go help!"

Winged Kuriboh had arrived and was distracting the real Harpy Lady; the distraction aloud Crowler escape from the clutches of the monster. Jesse ran in shouting "If that monster is real then so are mine, I summon…" but was cut off by Brett running in front of him. "Stop, remember the bio band, let me take care of this" as Brett drew a card; "Axe of Despair!"

The Axe of Despair appeared in Brett's hand; he ran forward slicing at the Harpy who dodged the slash of the axe. Brett motioned the Kuriboh to get out of there; the Harpy swept in at top speeds. Brett rolled to the side as he swung his Blade as it clipped the monsters claws. The Harpy was afraid to lose; the force of the blow had hurt her slightly. She began to flee flying away fast. Brett was unhappy that he did not defeat her; since she probably had attacked first without being provoked.

Brett squinted; he focused in on the monster, "your not getting away that easy!" Brett hurled the axe at the creature; it flew at the creature, nailing the Harpy in the back. Everyone was speechless at the display of skill; Brett slowly calmed down, trying to slow his hearts pace. Jesse ran over "Brett that was an amazing throw!" "Huh what happened" as Brett held his head.

"That was cool Brett you fought a duel monster and won!" Jaden was his same old self; completely thrilled with the performance. Brett had no memory of what had just happened; but he shook his head dismissing the fact that he could remember doing nothing. "Come on guys, we should get to the infirmary."

Everyone went by Brett except for Alexis who stopped beside Brett. She put her hand on his shoulder; trying to comfort him. "Brett are you ok? It looked like you lost control." Brett was almost shivering; he spoke in a quivering voice. "I did… I do not remember what happened out there, or anything about the fight. I'm starting to worry about what I'm becoming. I lifted that rock like it was nothing and now I lost control. Was that fortune teller right?" Alexis but her hands on his shoulders as she moved behind him; "Don't second guess yourself right now; you know we need your help. You are still you."

Brett nodded before Alexis began to lead him away; and they all went to the infirmary. Jaden had taken Chazz's spot, and Axel was put in another free bed. Brett went over to Mrs. Fontaine questioning where Blair was. She told Brett she left with Marcel but she promised she would not leave the school. "Come on guys, let's round up all the students we can." Only Jaden and Axel stayed behind resting in the infirmary.

Everyone split up; scouring the school for duelist before bringing them to the gym. Hours passed and Brett continually brought more and more duelists. The PDA communications were impossible; there was far too much static interference to get a clear communication line.

Brett was heading back when he saw a disturbance happening in the gym. Duelists argued with each other on how to possibly handle the situation. Brett was in no mood; yelling as loud as he possibly could. "Silence! School may be out bet let me tell you two things I know for certain. One bio bands are active so no strenuous activity. Two, we know that if we want to get home we all have to stick together. Now no one is to leave this gym, and for the love of god sit down and shut up."

The duelists all sat down quietly now; soon came the announcement that someone was approaching Duel Academy. Brett went to run but ran into Britney; her eyes lit up when she realized it was who it was. "Hey have not seen you in a while how are you doing?" Brett looked at her seriously; "not right now, we have problems. Just stay in the gym no matter what got it?" Britney shook her head in compliance.

Brett ran outside just in time to see the Topaz Tiger crushed another Harpy. The other two backed up before they swooped in again to attack. This time there path was blocked as a flying sword that flew past their faces; stopping their assault. "Like my Sword of the Deep-Seated?" Brett said; the blade reappeared in his hand when he finished his question. The harpy sisters fled as Brett stood there and watched.

The stranger had passed out; and the duelists rushed him to the infirmary. They put him in a bed as more room was made, but the infirmary was filled to capacity. Jaden was being commanded by Mrs. Fontaine to stay and rest. "So what are you guys going to do now?" Jaden asked Jesse. Jesse looked at Brett who was standing by the door; looking furious like he was depressed. "Well Brett, Jim, and I are going looking for the last of the students. We still have not found Blair and Brett is probably worried sick."

Jesse felt a hand on his shoulder; he turned to see Brett who was smiling at him. "Thank you Jesse for helping me." They soon left and began their search through the school. They checked every class, nook, and cranny looking for missing students. The search led into the night as Brett continued to move faster and faster; he desperately wanted to find Blair and see her smiling face again.

"Brett slow down, would you. It may be easy for you to walk fast but I have a crocodile on my back." The crocodile growled on Jim's back, when he finished his comment. "Sorry but I'm worried, I still feel that evil presence around here. If Blair or anyone gets hurt…" as Brett was interrupted by a loud blood curdling scream, and Brett knew it was Blair's voice.

Brett took of down the hall at top speed; leaving his allies behind. Brett came upon Blair shortly after; he saw her lying on the ground with a bright orange scar on her arm. "BLAIR!" Brett shouted at the top of his lungs. Brett's rage built as he began to form a fist, rage building up as he lost control to his emotions. His fist hit the ground cracking the floor beneath the fist.

Jaden, Axel, Jim, and Jesse arrived at the scene; Brett spoke in a voice that sounded as if someone else was speaking the exact same words. "I shall kill who did this." Jaden went beside Brett grabbing his fist; "No Brett we need to get Blair to the infirmary, now." Brett shook his head coming back to his senses; Axel began to talk a few seconds after Jaden. "Yeah, you and Jaden get Blair out of here. You will guys get Blair to the Mrs. Fontaine; and we shall go find who did this to her."

Brett picked Blair up in his arms; he looked to Axel, Jesse, and Jim. "Thank you; you guys be careful." Brett finished speaking; he took off down the hall as fast as he could go. Jaden watched him for a split second before yelling to Brett. "Hey wait for me too;" and Jaden took off after Brett.

They were halfway there when Blair began to talk; causing Brett and Jaden to stop. "Brett, Jaden you rescued me didn't you?" Brett held her tight; "Blair who did this too you?" Blair passed back out; leaving Brett holding her tightly. Brett turned to Jaden speaking in quivering voice; "come on we got to move fast. Hold on Blair."

In the library stood Marcel; who now had a monster arm and was acting very different. He was now possessed by the creature that destroyed Viper earlier. He smiled speaking with a happy and confident tone; "Jaden soon we shall play." Silently a man in a black cloak appeared behind him from no where. "So you are the dark presence I have been sensing in this world. You have done me a great favor so far; but how about I make you an offer you could never refuse?"

"I'm listening, but who are you?" The new Marcel looked to the stranger; his level of intrigue constantly growing. "My name is meaningless, but you may call me 2."

"That is a weird name, how did you get that?" questioned Marcel. "It is not a name, it is a rank. I prefer strategy and overwhelming my enemy. But if you aid me the rewards will be what ever you desire."

The cloaked man flung a package of cards to Marcel. "You shall summon those cards, as you sit back and watch the show from here. So long as my target dies then it matters not what you chose of those to kill him with. Give them obstacles till the perfect time to strike him down. I shall show the world the world a show they will never forget; that will end with a hero's death."

"You speak of the one named Brett?" questioned Marcel. "Yes he is my target; we shall talk about the plan more in a bit, but first. I just wanted to thank you for injuring the girl. If I can make him lose control; then odds are he will lose his head, and he will fall to my blade. But we must soften him up. Do you have an ability to control people?"

"I could have this entire school under my control in a matter of hours." Marcel laughed; his new ally continued to speak. "We have much to discuss, but first I need to know your name."

"My name is Yubel, and this should be fun for the both of us!" The man drew a long blade and a pack of cards; before speaking to Marcel. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

Chapter 9 Desert Peril: A quest To Save Blair

"So the plan is set; make sure you gain control of the student bodies minds. It does not matter if you get Brett's friends; but make sure you have an army ready." Yubel agreed to 2's scheme; he was enjoying having partner who had promised him whatever he could desire. "How quick we forgot our promise" Adrian said; he entered the room with a very displeased look. "You had a promise with me to share your power with me!"

"You want power do you? I do not know who you are; but perhaps you could be of some aid to our plan. And the rewards shall be what ever you desire." Adrian was intrigued by 2's proposal; "What exactly would you have me do, and to who?" 2 turned away before responding to Adrian's question. "You must get Brett away from this place. If he catches wind of my plan; then he will give me no quarter. I must have everything perfectly ready for his death to be certain."

"What is so special about that kid anyway?" Adrian questioned again; refusing to be left out of the loop again. "It does not matter so long as we accomplish our goal. Serve us Adrian; and whatever you desire you shall obtain. Even massive amounts of power." 2 turned to him; "follow them and make sure they leave Duel Academy. That girl's injury will give us the opportunity we need. Send them on a search for aid, it matters not if the others goals succeed. Just make sure Brett leaves with you."

"Very well, we have a deal but do not forget your promise;" Adrian left after finishing his statement. "Make sure once they leave you start gaining an army of duelists with monsters." Yubel smiled while he responded; "one army of dueling zombies will be easy to obtain. Make sure you and your magic is ready; and do not forget my deal with you."

Jaden and all of his friends had left to try and obtain permission from Crowler. All of them had found out from Adrian that there was a submarine hidden in the desert and it would no doubt have first aid aboard; everyone went to convince the professor except for Brett. He stood beside Blair watching her breathe heavily; her condition appeared to worsened every second. Brett was angry but still in control; he had almost lost it earlier due to his rage, but none of that was important right now.

Mrs. Fontaine approached Brett's side; "she will be ok Brett." Brett just stared at Blair "there's no need to lie. I heard what you said earlier, her condition will only get worse. DAMMIT! I should have been there to protect her." Mrs. Fontaine saw how much pain Brett was in; she could only try and comfort him. "It's not your fault Brett, you had no idea this would happen."

A ghostly figure appeared across the bed; 2 appeared before him smiling. "To bad you cannot help her; you have the ability, but not the knowledge of how to use your abilities." Brett looked at him, "what are you talking about?" Mrs. Fontaine try to tell Brett to not listen; but Brett was too focused on this new man. "Perhaps I should aid you with this; if you were to remove that scar, she would suffer less."

"How? Tell me now!" Brett yelled. "Place your hand over the scar, and focus your thoughts on saving her." Brett did just that removing the blanket, before placing his hand over the scar. Mrs. Fontaine expressed concern; she told Brett to stop and not do something so rash. Brett ignored her words; he focused his thoughts, and then the scar faded from existence and from Blair's arm.

"Heroic foul, you continue to make my job easier. Have fun paying for your heroic nonsense." 2 finished speaking; he offered an evil laugh before he vanished into a swirling black portal. 2 reappeared in front of Yubel; "the mark is on him. You may begin to weaken him." Soon as the scar faded from Blair; Brett found himself clutching his left arm in pain. Mrs. Fontaine removed Brett's sweater revealing the scar was now on Brett's arm causing him pain.

Brett's ears perked up, he could hear someone approaching. Brett put his sweater back on turning to Mrs. Fontaine; "not a word to anyone; ok?" Mrs. Fontaine agreed despite her rising concern for Brett. Jaden came bursting in the door; "we got the green light to go Brett. Well be back soon with all the medicine and supplies we need."

Adrian came through the door; almost on cue to Jaden's words. He immediately confirmed his presence with his words. "I'm coming as well." Jaden looked over; "you sure? You were not looking to good a short while ago."

"Trust me I'm fine; but you should come as well Brett. I mean were going to need as much help as we can get. I mean we cannot really risk anything happening out there to the medicine. Blair will be fine with Mrs. Fontaine, so stop worrying and come lend a hand." Jaden looked to Brett; Brett responded to Adrian's statement after he thought about his words. "You're right Adrian I cannot stay here and just wait. Mrs. Fontaine make sure Blair is safe for me; please let me do this to redeem myself to her."

Mrs. Fontaine watched Brett leave; she could easily tell Brett's arm was causing him a lot of pain. All three boys left the infirmary; soon they would leave Duel Academy for the Submarine. Mrs. Fontaine walked over to Blair; she put her hand on Blair's forehead. Blair's fever seamed to be much lower then before; she still needed the medicine aboard the submarine to pull through. "Blair; I hope you know how lucky you are to have him. I just pray he stops putting him self in so much danger. Brett; you always save Blair from harm; but if you die then you will hurt her far more then any villain ever could."

Jaden, Brett, and Adrian left for the entrance to meet up with Jim, Axel, and Jesse. Brett and the others were now all at the gate. Jaden looked at Chazz, Hasleberry, Syrus, and Alexis who were staying behind. "You guys look after the school and we will be back shortly with all that we can get."

2 and Yubel looked on from a high level of the school; "now that Adrian is watching those fools I can concentrate on making our army of duelist slaves." 2 looked down upon Brett with a large smirk across his face. "Yes things are going as I expected. Before you go off to have a little fun setting up part 2 of this plan; send Brett and those fools a small going away present. We will do everything we can to ware him down before the final fight."

Jaden, Brett, Jim, Jesse, Axel, and Adrian, all set out for the submarine in the middle of the desert. They walked over the sand dunes; the heat of the three suns was the same intensity that they experienced the day before. Axel began to drop PDA's leaving a trail that they could track back to the school. Brett however was still clutching his left arm where the scar was; the pain emanating felt like acid in his arm.

Jaden looked back at Brett; he noticed Brett was falling behind. "Brett you ok what's holding you back. You think you would be leading this." Brett just smiled to Jaden trying not to let on how much pain he was in. "Nothing, stop worrying about me and let's keep moving ok." Jim went back besides Brett "that is the worst lie I have ever heard mate. You still are just as bad of a liar as when we met; now what seems to be the trouble with your arm." "Seriously guys stop worrying about me, there's nothing wrong and we have bigger problems." Brett continued to smile; still content on lying to his friends so he could keep the truth hidden.

Everyone in the group stopped and turned around to look at Brett. Axel looked at him "out with it. Tell us now or we are not moving, you have been holding that arm since we left Duel Academy. If you have something to tell us; and you do then tell us now." Brett conceded to his friends; he removed his sweater revealing the scar on his arm. Jaden got in close staring at the scar; it was very familiar to him, and then he realized why. "That looks exactly like Blair's scar, when did you get that?" Brett paused for a few moments before coming clean; "I took Blair's, I'm not sure how but I wished it, and it happened."

"You should have told us sooner, we need to know this. Your weakness could cost people their lives;" Axel sounded very aggravated with Brett's deception. "It's ok Axel calm down; Brett you still ok to keep going" Jesse asked as Brett quickly responded "I'm fine; I promise I will not hold us back and that I will be my own burden."

They continued to walk; but this time Brett kept up walking at a much faster pace, though still holding his arm. They came over the next ridge; Jaden could see the submarine imbedded in the sand. Jaden ran towards the submarine; till a giant sinkhole opened up underneath him. Jaden began to be sucked into the sinkhole; yelling at the top of his lungs. Axel quickly got out a rope; tying it around him self. Axel tossed the other end of the rope to Adrian before he leapt into the sinkhole grabbing Jaden.

Adrian thought for a second about letting go of the rope when Yubel sent him a telepathic message; but Jim grabbed hold of the rope. "You almost let go there." Jim said to him as Adrian was quick to respond. "Sorry; must still be weak from that duel."

Then when the group was in enough danger already; a tall small stone pillar raised from the middle of the sink hole. "So you all have made it this far but you shall go no further;" said the mysterious creature rising out of the sink hole; his duel disk readied itself. Brett knew this duel monster "So you want to duel, what does a Rock Spirit monster want with us. Forget it, I'll duel you!"

"You have to learn when to concede boy; I have no intention of dueling you. You are going down thanks to that scar on your arm." The spirit monster clenched his hand;and Brett's arm began to burn. The pain was now excruciating, a thousand times worse then before; causing Brett to drop to his knees. Jesse jumped in yelling; "You will leave us alone; I'll duel you!"

Brett was helpless; the pain crippled him completely, so much that he could barely think. Jesse quickly defeated the Rock Spirit with the crystal beast cards. Jim and Adrian pulled Axel and Jaden to safety; Brett recovered after the spirits defeat. Jesse's bio band sucked more energy from him. The scar's pain disappeared almost completely; Brett stood up rushing over to his friends. "You guys ok?" Brett asked. Everyone's attention turned to him; Jim was quick to question Brett. "The question is are you alright? You were down on the ground in pain a minute ago; you looked like you were dying." Brett shook his head; "I'm fine now; we should get moving before anything else comes after us."

Brett took off running to the submarine; each of the group of duelists entered through the top hatch of the sub. The group decided on who was going where and for what; but Brett heard whispers coming from down the hallway. Brett slipped away while the others were still deciding on who was getting what; not noticing Brett's absence till he disapeard into the shadows.

Brett found him self in the middle of the submarines infirmary. Brett was almost drawn to a cabinet by a mysterious force. Brett grabbed a bottle of medicine before everything slowly went dark.

Brett woke to find him self back in the same white room when he last lost consciousness. Nothing but white surrounded him till a pool of dark energy came from nowhere. From the dark ball of energy, emerged silver metallic wings. They looked more like a structure of wings then actual wings. Then a body emerged; a man came forth with hair as black as the night. A mask was across his face and his arms looked like he was in a straight jacket.

Brett could feel a dark aura infecting him; this man reeked of darkness and was no doubt the thing that spoke to Brett the last time he lost consciousness. "So Brett; you have came to fight for the girls life? It is too bad you cannot possibly win this fight by yourself." Brett looked at the stranger; he was completely unaware if he was friend or foe. "What do you mean?"

"Right now you are being targeted by another evil that intends to claim you for its own purposes. I cannot allow this to happen to you; your true power has been starting to awaken; but at too slow a rate. I cannot last against your light; but I can tell you if you think only of protecting others, then you will be victorious."

Brett did not trust this stranger one bit. "Why would you help me; you do not look the kind of person who would be my friend." The strange man with the mask head rotated around in a circle while he spoke. "I am part of you; I was ordered here to aid you by someone who values your life. I only have appeared now because you need me. I cannot allow you to die or I will die as well. Just remember to think only about protecting others and you shall be fine. Your power has awakened; now Brett wake up!"

"Brett wake up; you ok?" Jesse questioned as Brett slowly came to. "Looks like you went off in a hurry to find the medicine, well don't worry it's all in the case over there so we can get out of here. How's that scar treating you?" Brett slowly got up by him self; Jesse gave him room by getting out of his way "It's fine, it does not even hurt anymore. I'm not sure entirely why."

Brett removed his sweater and the scar was still there. Brett just shook his head; "let's go Blair is waiting for this medicine and I'm ready for anything." The others were already at the entrance to the sub; and had all achieved their goals. Brett ran right by them; shouting to all of them. "Come on guys let's get back to Duel Academy" Jesse followed behind Brett; more then a few seconds back. "He sure rebounded huh. Brett was already out side the sub; he searched the area as he saw another Rock Spirit with a duel disk.

Brett jumped off the sub and down to the sand below; he set his duel disk in place. "Let's try this again." "You never learn do you boy" as the Spirit clenched his fist; this time though it had no effect on Brett; he stood proud and tall waiting to start the duel. "You are you going to continue to waste my time! Let's duel!"

The spirit monster got angry and started the duel; he summoned a Sand Doodlebug. The creature began to cause the submarine to sink into the sand. Brett drew six cards and confidently spoke out loud. "You shall not succeed; someone's life is depending on me and my friends. And it is unlucky for you that she is more important to me then anything else. I summon my Red Eyes Black Chick as I activate its effect; changing it into my Red Eyes Black Dragon. But I'm not done; I now special summon my Red Eyes Darkness Dragon by sending my Red Eyes Black Dragon to the grave. Red Eyes get that sub and save my friends!"

"Fool now you are wide open!" the spirit creature said overconfidently as Brett smiled back. "I'm not done, and I'm not letting my friends get hurt either, because now I activate my Black Luster Ritual allowing me to summon my Black Luster Soldier. You see I summoned my dragon first so he could save the sub; but I had no intention of leaving myself open. And now Red Eyes Darkness and Black Luster finish his monster and get rid of him."

The dragon fired a blast of dark fire as the dragon's fire was blocked by a sandstorm; the soldier jumped through the barrier, destroying the Doodlebug. "That was pretty good but I think I shall play my Book of the Moon putting your Dragon face down defense position.

The dragon disappeared and the submarine came crashing down to the ground; Brett looked onwards as the sub came crashing down. "The guys are not going to like that one bit." "You should focus on yourself; I play one monster face down and place two more traps face down."

"Hope you were not going to end this with those traps, because I'm done with you. I play my newly drawn card. I activate my Heavy Storm magic card destroying your traps. Now I re-summon my dragon, in attack mode, and now finish this duel!" The dragon and soldier destroyed the face down monster before destroying the spirit.

Brett breathed a sigh of relief; he ran back to the submarine and he jumped down the hatch. Jaden and the others were all in a pile on the floor from the impact of the submarine crashing to the ground. Brett helped each one up; he then checked the med kit, inspecting all of the medicine. "The medicine is alright; let's go guys, now!" Brett began forcing the others up out of the submarine hatch and into the desert.

They were now all out side; Brett looked at them wondering if they were indeed fine. "You guys good to go?" They all nodded; Brett handed off the medicine to Jesse; he spoke to Jesse like he was slightly different. "I'll scout ahead; I entrust the medicine with you." The others talked about why Brett had done a bit of a change in personality; but Brett waved to them yelling to them. "Come on guys, we got people depending on us!"

Eventually they were able to see the school; they closed in on their target when a loud roar billowed in the sky. Brett turned to see a Red Eyes Black dragon flying towards them and the school. Brett gritted his teeth; he ran back past Jaden taking a few cards from his deck; taking his duel disk off and tossed it to Jaden. "Jaden go save Blair, leave this to me." Jaden looked back at Brett "what?" but Brett just yelled at Jaden. "don't worry, I'll be right be right behind you Jaden, please go do what you must to save her, I have no intention of dying here. I trust you guys can save her; I am the only one who can stop this creature."

Jaden and the others hesitantly left Brett behind; the Black Dragon closed in on Brett, teeth and claws bared at him. Brett looked up at it; he began to speak in a calm collected fashion. "Jaden please keep Blair safe for me. I do not know if what that dream told me was true; but I will protect the people I love to the death if I must. I will do everything I can; and I will do my very best to make it back to you Blair, but if I do not then I'm sorry. I'm sorry I cannot be there by your side."

Brett held a card to the sky; the Sword of the Seated materialized in his hand giving Brett more strength to fight. He threw another card up; this time the Megamorph spell activated. The symbol on the card appeared on Brett's forehead; he felt his strength double, his entire body pulsing with power. He then had one last card to play; he held it high as a Y Dragon Head appeared beside Brett. Brett turned to the monster; "ready?" The Y Dragon Head nodded to Brett; he took his cue and jumped onto its back.

The Dragon flew past Brett; he and the machine dragon took of behind the black dragon. The dragon had its sites set on the school. Brett was not going to let anything happen to his friends or Blair; he commanded his creature to go faster at the top of his lungs. Brett's determination was on fire, but he was in full control. Brett slowly gained distance on the dragon; closer and closer upon the dragon till he stood up and readied his blade. Brett was nearly upon the dragon when it created a sudden burst of speed; it blasted past the school.

Brett was confused, until a mighty Blue Eyes White Dragon appeared from behind the school. Brett attempted to dodge, but it was too late for him to avoid the coming attack. The dragon's tail came crashing down as Brett was sent flying into the roof of the school; he came busting through the roof, falling down into the main hallway.

Brett landed a few meters away from Jaden and a few of his friends. Brett slowly stood up; he looked around viewing Jaden and other students that acted like zombies. Brett looked back up to see the ferocious Red Eyes staring at him, right through the hole in the roof.

01unmeinotobira

Brett looked over to his friends; they were speechless from him crashing through the roof. "I told you I was right behind you guys. I'm not giving up, I will never let anything happen to anyone I care about!" A fierce light emitted from Brett's body; bathing the main hall with light. Jaden and the others shielded there eyes from the intensity wondering if he was ok.

The light faded as Brett emerged still holding his sword, but now bore two angelic wings; which shined with pure gentle light. Brett clothes were tarnished with dust and dirt from the roof rubble, and were slightly ripped. Still Brett showed no signs of weakness; Brett looked at the dragon with anger in his face.

Jaden and the others looked on in disbelief at Brett and his new wings; Jaden yelled out to Brett trying to warn him of the new dangers. "Brett be careful; the students are under someone's control." Brett looked over to his friends; "thank you Jaden. Jaden go now and save Blair, because I'm counting on you. Hope your ready to lose; no Red Eyes is going to beat me!"

Brett lifted his new wings; he sent them pushing down pushing him up through the air like a bolt of lightning. A few feathers were all that left behind from Brett. Brett blasted through the hole; he blasted past the dragon and slashed across the dragon's face. The black dragon chased after Brett; the white dragon circled looking for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Brett dodged the Red Eyes attacks, as he countered with his sword. Brett turned heading back towards the school as the Black Dragon chased him. Brett suddenly stopped and he turned slashing the dragon across the chest. He used his wings to fly high into the sky after attacking the dragon. He flew up twenty meters before collapsing his wings; he came down with incredible force on the dragon's neck. The blade cut through the neck of the dragon before it exploded into a cloud of dark smoke.

The white dragon finally had its chance; it gave no pause and fired a white lightning attack into the cloud of black dust. The beam of light ripped through the black dust, but Brett flew out of the cloud just as the beam ripped through. The Blue eyes soon gave chase to Brett, but Brett was leading him further into the desert. The dragon was faster then Brett and was gaining distance on Brett.

Brett used his wings to pull a 180; he turned heading right towards the dragon. It bared its teeth at its target and was ready to strike. Brett narrowly dodged the teeth, but he got close to the chest and took the opportunity. He slashed across the dragon's chest leaving a long scar. Brett cleared the tail as he flew towards Duel Academy.

The dragon turned bellowing a loud roar across the sky; it fired another wave of energy causing Brett to fly closer to the ground. The famous white lightning attack could finish him in one shot, and all he could do was dodge the attack. The dragon once again gave chase to Brett charging up another blast.

Brett flew close to the sand dunes not giving the dragon a clear shot; he dodged from side to side through the dunes. Brett passed another sand dune he beheld five Oni Tank T-34 tanks, but on their backs were large chain guns. Brett had barely no time to react before they began to unload loads of bullets. Brett quickly improvised using his sword to block bullets so he could get in close.

A bullet hit his elbow forcing Brett to land close to his targets by foot. Brett ran as fast as he could. He jumped up into the air when a stray bullet ripped through the side of Brett's leg. Brett overcame the pain and came down; destroying the tank with his sword with a single slash.

He quickly moved on destroying each of the other tanks; Brett was far to close of the tanks guns to be a huge threat. Brett came down on the last tank he took of like a shot as another white lightning strike plowed into the ground where he once stood. Brett looked back to see the Dragon right behind him almost upon him.

The dragon gave one last powerful push of its wings; sending it ahead of Brett. The dragon stopped and nailed Brett with its tail; sending Brett through the outside glass of Duel Academy. Brett crashed into the wall of Duel Academies' second level. Brett looked around and saw a group of Zombie duelists pounding the door to the infirmary. Brett got up running over before using his wings to create a torrent of wind; sending the duelists flying away from the entrance.

Mrs. Fontaine was trying to hold the zombies back when she heard Brett's voice. "Mrs. Fontaine are you and Blair ok?" Mrs. Fontaine shouted to Brett; confirming that they were fine for the moment. Brett turned to the window seeing the dragon hovering outside the window. He turned his head when he heard footsteps approaching; Jaden and Jesse came from around the corner carrying the Medical supplies. "Brett you ok? You look terrible."

Brett turned his attention back to the dragon; "go save her! I have to take care of that creature." Jaden and Jesse where a little surprised to see that Brett was fighting against a legendary Duel Monster, but even more surprised that he was not afraid. Fighting it in a game is one thing, but here the monsters were real.

Brett took off leaving through the hole in the glass that he had crashed through earlier. He and the dragon began attacking the other. Brett slashed at the dragon, and the dragon countered with its teeth. The dragon pulled back, launching another blast into the air to show that it was getting angry.

Brett flew back through the air; he still was in between the dragon and Duel Academy. He looked at the dragon before uttering a few short words. "I'm done with this battle; I need to be by my friends' side." He held up the Ring of Destruction trap card to the heavens above; the ring appeared around the dragon's neck, before exploding with incredible force. The blast hit Brett and sent him flying back into the building; shattering more glass with his body.

Brett crashed through the wall, and flew past Jaden; he crashed into two zombie duelists causing everyone's attention to be drawn to him except Jesse. Jesse jumped in grabbing Blair out of the bed; he pulled her to safety before part of the ceiling collapsed. Brett got up from his collision and looked at were he was and saw Blair was safe. He looked at Jaden's opponent, and was only able to find a few short words. "Mrs. Fontaine I'm sorry I could not save you." Jesse looked at Brett; he still had his wings, but his cloths were singed and had a few open wounds.

Brett ran to Blair's side; his wings light weakened, and the dark control of Yubel faded for a brief moment. Mrs. Fontaine uttered a few words, before she fell back under the dark powers control. "Jesse; Jaden, I owe you big time for this." Brett said while he picked Blair up; he moved her out of the room. The room was in bad condition and it was unsafe for anyone to be in; Brett motioned with his head to Jaden and Jesse.

Jesse and Jaden got the message as the roof looked ready to collapse. Brett set her down outside of the infirmary; he got down and kneeled beside Blair. Jesse was starting to become very concerned with Brett's lack of self preservation; he was saving his friends but he was suffering. "Brett are you ok? Seriously you took on a Blue Eyes and a Red Eyes at the same time. And now you seem to have wings; what's going on?"

Brett only was not sure him self; "I'm not sure but it is not important right now. These wings are going to help us; the gym is still safe, if so then that is our destination." Then a large explosion came from the infirmary; pushing Jaden out into the hall. The roof in the infirmary collapsed trapping who ever was still inside. Jaden slid over beside Brett, and Jaden looked at Brett before speaking like his usual self. "Nice new look, what we doing now." Brett looked down the hall and he began to speak in a determined voice. "We are going to get to the gym, where you will be safe. And we shall take the second level to avoid trouble; I just hope it is a better route."

Song Tetsujin

Jesse summoned his Topaz Tiger to carry Blair; they turned to go down the nearest hall. Brett led the group with a quickened pace; he turned down the hallway he saw a shadowed figure approaching. "You have come this far, but you shall go no further; by order of my master." The Master Monk appeared before Brett; his voice was strong and powerful. Brett motioned his friends to stay back; he loosened up tucking his wings in behind his back.

Brett's hand stretched out; slowly motioning the monk forward and the monk nodded with delight. He was waiting for a new challenge; this would be an amusing fight. "I will enjoy breaking you all; especially you Brett." Brett grit his teeth; you are not going to break me because you will fall."

A brief moment happened were everyone was dead silent; Brett took one last breath before he ran forward making the first move. The monk launched fists at Brett; he dodged and the fighters continued to trade rapid blows. Brett punched and made contact with the opponent's fist; he jumped up landing on the wall. His foot found a suitable hold he was able to push off and spin; kicking the monster causing the creature to explode into a dust cloud.

Brett landed and he quickly moved down the next hall; he motioned Jesse and Jaden to stop and wait till Brett made sure it was clear. Brett walked forward and he saw a gun by the exit to the main hall's upper portion. Brett wondered where the gun came but just shook it off as Brett grabbed the gun. Brett quickly familiarized him self with the gun studying the details; Jaden yelled "Is it safe too come out yet?" Brett shook his head shouting Jaden that he did not know yet. Brett moved into the main hall to see three new Robotic knights across the gap all with there guns pointed at him.

"Crap!" Brett shouted as he dodged behind a pillar close by. Strangely no shooting had happened yet; Brett sat there and wondered where the weapon fire was. He looked out from around the corner as the knights began to fire, chiseling away at the pillar with rounds of bullets. Brett dodged behind the pillar as bullets ripped through the air. "It is not safe just yet Jaden! You might just want to stay back for a few more minutes."

The bullets stopped as he took a deep breath before running from behind the pillar and the firing resumed. Bullets ripped through air; Brett could feel bullets passing by his head and body. Brett traded shots across the gap as Brett noticed he had a laser gun. Weapons fired and shots ripped through the air at both sides. Brett rolled behind another pillar; "I do not like gun fighting." Brett turned as he ran to the wall jumping off of it launching himself across the gap.

Brett landed on the other side of the hall as he turned firing the gun as a laser shot through a robotic knight's head. The knight just stood there not exploding but just waited for a moment. The headless robotic knight swung it's sword; Brett ducked and shoot it again and destroyed it. The other two turned to Brett but Brett dodge rolled firing two more shots, into the other Robotic Knights. The shots tore the robots apart and soon they were destroyed. Brett got up and noticed across the hall stood a Dark Jeroid and it was heading towards Blair and the others.

Brett took a running jump across the gap; he shot the monster in the back, and it screamed in pain. The creature turned and hit him with a claw, knocking the gun from his hand. The creature followed with fast swipes with its other appendages. Brett ducked and dodged each blow by mere inches. With one final swipe he flipped backwards grabbing his gun; he aimed and shot through the creature ten times before the creature finally fell.

Another explosion occurred; sending dust and debris at Brett. Soon the blast faded and Brett yelled out to his friends; "safe now, but I would prefer to take the lower level. So were taking the lower level. Someone really is trying hard to get rid of us."

Pause to let song End

Jaden and Jesse came to Brett; he told them the top level was not working out well. Jaden and Jesse looked out into the hall to see the destroyed hallway. "Guez Brett leave some school still intact;" Jesse said while he rubbed the back of his head. Brett did not answer and grabbed Blair; he stretched his wings telling the guys to follow him. He flew to the lower level and gently so not to disturb Blair. Jesse, Jaden and the tiger jumped to the lower level; Brett set Blair on the Tiger's back. Brett relaxed for a second and took a sigh of relief. Jaden looked down the hall as he said; "ah, Brett we have a problem."

Brett looked towards the gym; there were a hundred duelists who now stood in their path. Brett turned back the other way as he saw zombie duelists coming from behind him. All chanting the word duel; they summoned their monsters to the area. Soon hundreds of monsters blocked their path. Jesse looked around; "Brett what are we going to do, were surrounded." Brett simply looked at them as he spoke; "we will make it. Just stay close to me, and don't worry; I'll only hurt them a bit."

Song Wings Of Words

Brett tossed his gun to Jaden; he quickly collapsed his wings and took one last deep breath. He paused for a few moments; letting him self prepare for the coming fight. Brett stretched his limbs while he closed his eyes. Brett waited for moments; letting the all of his enemies draw closer to him. Then without warning; he let his wings burst creating a torrent of wind out. Hundreds of feathers flew everywhere when his wings stretched to there maximum extent.

The feathers floated gently down and Brett lifted his hands and opened his eyes, causing most the feathers to fly around his hands creating twin blades of light. While the other feathers formed shields behind Jaden and Jesse. Brett took one last look at his friends before shouting out loud; "remember stay close! We will make it through this; I promise to all of you!"

Brett leapt forward into the army of zombie duelist; monsters came down on him from the front. Brett simply jumped back readying his blade with a look of determination in his eyes. He fought back slicing at enemies, while the shields behind his friends kept the other enemies at bay not letting anything through. Nothing would happen to his friends no matter what.

Brett slashed fiercely sending zombie duelist flying; monsters exploded causing him to squint but still he did not let anything through. Brett noticed enemies coming from the side, and he immediately span around sending his blade through every enemy. The blade gently passed through his friends not harming them, but it still sent duelists flying and crushing monsters. He cleared a path slicing through enemies and the path to the gym slowly opened. But soon the monsters started to come at him faster and faster; Brett simply sped up his pace. He desperately tried to keep up with the heightened pace of attacks.

Brett continued to parry and slice while his shields created a perimeter; pushing back monsters without fail as his strikes continued to increase in speed. More duelists in the back of the horde summoned new flying creatures; Brett took off as he created more shields to continue defending his friends. Brett flew above them; crushing the flying monsters for they stood no chance against Brett's blades of light.

He let his wings collapse as he dropped coming down on monsters; trying to gain some advantage. More and more duelist's monsters attacked with no relent in their pace. But Brett was not about to give up; he was not going to let his friends suffer. He made his wings flap pushing the army back; more feathers flew into the air from Brett's wings. Brett summoned them to his hands; he could feel the blades effect getting stronger and stronger. He quickly resumed the attack and he swung his blades with renewed determination in his heart. He span around and his blades extended making it easier to reach opponent and clear a path quicker.

Then a Familiar Knight came down close to Brett; the knight's blade cut the side of Brett's leg. Brett simply sliced the creature destroyed out of rage from the pain. Brett looked up to see monsters coming down on the group; he beat his wings and Brett let more feathers fly creating a shield above them.

The monsters hit the shield and the shield pushed them back into the air. Brett renewed his attack against his enemies but; he slashed, he created long blades of light that shot out into the army creating explosion that cleared a large portion of the hall. Slowly the group crept closer and closer to the gym and Brett did not let up. He was determined and never gave an inch to the opposing force.

His friends were depending on him and letting them down was no option. Brett continued to fight his way though the crowd; he sent more slashes made of light out into the crowd to aid in his goal. Few monsters came close to Brett; he tore into the other monsters with his blades and none could come even close to Brett. He was focused and in control of his power. He jumped high into the air using his now much smaller wings to hover; he spun around creating a circle of light in the air. The slash plowed the area around the shield clearing the area of duelist and monster alike.

Brett dropped down and slammed his blades into creating a wave of light energy; wave of light easily cleared the remaining path to the gym. Monsters exploded all around them from the intensity of the wave. The zombies were battered and bruised, but still got back up; all of them were still chanting the word duel. Their was no obvious way to end this but he had one last trick.

Brett, Jaden, and Jesse arrived at the gym with Blair safely on the back of the tiger. Brett looked at the army of duelists in front of him. He was ready at last to unleash a greater power; his shields, blades, and his wings exploded sending thousands of feathers into the air. Brett moved his hands and he commanded the feathers to fly out. Each pure white feather turned to white energy and they passed through every duel monster and duelist under Yubel's control. Everything that opposed Brett became enveloped in light; Brett lifted his hands while everything enveloped in light rose into the air. Brett jumped forward sending everything he now controlled far down the hall.

Brett pulled his hands back to his body; he summoned all the light back to him. The light circled and surrounded Brett enveloping him in light. Light swirled in circles before launching away from Brett; it created a barrier of light around the gym. Brett turned back to the gym before he pushed the doors open with a single push. He had now achieved his goal and led his friends to safety. He smiled as he looked at them make their way into the gym; "told you we would make it." They entered the gym and they put Blair in a make shift bed; he smiled upon the sight of Blair finally being safe.

(Pause and let song end)

Brett was glad Blair was safe; he turned to the door. His vision focused on the army that was returning back towards the gym with the same force they had before. Brett looked back at his friends; he did not want to make this choice but he had to. Before looking to the exit and beginning to walk towards the exit; he spoke under his voice. "Now is the time. I will finish this madness so no one else must suffer; this must end now before more innocents are claimed."

"He seems to have finally truly awakened; a shame but not unexpected. Yubel prepare you're the monsters I gave you to be summoned, and make sure we finish him off this time. For now the real battle begins and we will use everything we have." Yubel turned to 2, before Yubel began to speak. "Do not forget your magic; I want the world to watch and you too Jaden." 2 looked back and he exited the room, "I have not; you shall have the perfect view of this amazing battle." The door to the library shut leaving Yubel to prepare.

Chapter 10 Awakening

Song Fulfilled Desire Begin

Brett started to move for the exit; Blair, Jaden, and Jesse were safe, but there was still a battle to be fought. Brett was not going to let any one he cared about face such evil. Jaden saw Brett leaving and he ran in front of Brett blocking his path. "Where are you going? You cannot be going back out there? What about Blair?" Brett nodded as he responded to Jaden's concern. "Jaden those monsters were after me, not the school. Something else is here trying to destroy me, and it will destroy all of you to get me. This is my fight and I entrust Blair's safety to you. I'm afraid I'm the hero this time;" Brett smiled at Jaden upon finishing his speech.

Brett reached out taking his deck back from Jaden; he took only a few cards back from his deck before giving it back to Jaden. The others gathered around while Jaden yelled at Brett; "but come on! You cannot leave Blair or the rest of us." Brett moved his hands up around his; he took off his necklace giving it to Jaden. Strangely he was still smiling showing little concern for the fight ahead; "Give it to Blair. Tell her I do not need luck on my side. I have no intention of dying today Jaden; I'll be right back after I finish this."

Jaden knew there was no stopping him. Jaden reluctantly took the necklace, and then Brett started to walk past him when Jaden grabbed his arm. Jaden handed over a single card to Brett; "take this. You might need it but make sure you bring it back ok? That way it is like I'm out there helping you." Brett nodded and he continued past Jaden stopping behind him. "Thanks guys, I promise I'll be back." Everyone was now silent as Brett continued onwards; slowly moving closer to the exit. He muttered under his breath one final statement; "you guys are the best friends anyone could ever ask for. That's my reason to live."

Alexis ran up to him and she spoke with a weak voice. "Just remember who you are and where you belong; ok?" Brett looked to her to see she was almost in tears. He put his hand to her face, and he spoke gently to her. "I know who I am, stop worrying. I will not forget that." He held her face in his hand as he comforted her.

Brett was smiling right to her face; he saw Britney run right up to him with a cheerful expression. Britney put her hand on Brett's shoulder and gave her smile slightly faded. "I know you'll be fine Brett; there's just always been something special. Blair is lucky to have you but do not break her heart."

All of his friends except for Blair were standing around him. Jaden smiled and gave a few last words to boost Brett's spirits. "Be careful and get your game on out there." Brett simply nodded, before he turned back to the doors; he lifted his right arm to the barrier. The barrier came crashing down like a mirror breaking; the light turned back to energy and returned behind Brett. His wings regenerated to there original glorious form and shown with pure glorious light.

Brett walked out the doors as they closed behind him; a single feather slipped through the doors before they closed shut. It gently flew through the air; traveling like it had its own mind. It traveled slowly till it landed on Blair's fore head; enveloping her in a gentle blue glow. The feather melted and was absorbed into Blair; she slowly opened her eyes. She sat up to see her friends standing by the gym door; she beheld Jaden holding Brett's necklace and her heart sunk. The doors closed and Brett was now in the main hall; starring down the army. "Sorry I could not do more for you Blair; Jaden please take good care of her."

The duelists had now summoned many new monsters, and were waiting for Brett to be ready. Each duelist had at least three monsters each and the hall seamed completely filled. 2 looked on through the hole in the roof "so now the real fun can begin!" He snapped his fingers and smiled deviously.

Slowly on the back wall of the gym turned into a TV style projection; everyone was now able to see Brett standing in the hall way. His bright white wings shown with light and her looked like a hero. Soon the effects traveled to the real world, and every piece of electronic equipment displayed Brett standing there facing down the army. Giant screens appeared in the sky and everyone was now able to see one of the world's most famous duelists; standing down an army of duel monsters. The effects of the magic covered the entire world; no one was going to miss this performance.

2 smiled with great joy; he threw away his cloak revealing his purple eyes and long white hair. He reached down and grabbed his single long katana blade; he held it at the ready with a fierce look. "Let the plan commence! There shall be no dawn for you weapon! Your sinful existence ends here! The Weapons must be exterminated; to save the future!"

Brett stood there as he readied himself, breathing deeply; he knew he could do this. The question was for how long. Brett gave out a battle cry before he ran forward summoning his swords of light. One blade appeared in each hand as he continued to run at full speed. The monsters took their cue and they ran in to begin their assault.

Brett jumped in slicing through monsters; he began to parry and slice when necessary, through dozens of monsters. More jumped into the battle and Brett cut one down with little effort. Brett cut one down on each side before slamming the two blades together; creating a beam of light that shot forward into the horde. Monsters exploded as the beam traveled forward; knocking duelists to the sides.

Brett did not give pause as he continued to dodge more attacks. He jumped forward coming straight down slicing a creature in half, before moving on with no break in between; he continued to dodge as he continued to slice; ripping apart creatures. Brett jumped back past the monsters behind him; he ran in again, slicing. The attackers started to encircle him and cut off any maneuverability. Soon he took off and flying monsters gave chase. Brett turned and sliced through attacking creatures, before dismissing one of his swords. He took a card and shouted its name to his opponents; "Raigeki!"

Lightning ripped through monsters as Brett landed on the ground. He pulled another card out shouting; "Twister!" The spell activated with furious winds forming from nowhere. The winds blew duelists cards and the twister ripped through the small army. Cards were sent flying as a few monsters came flying from above; ripping apart the two cards in Brett's hand. Brett quickly went to work as he sliced through them; more monsters continually appeared.

The new creatures ran in attacking and Brett dodged backwards, before swiping his blade. A blade of light flew from it destroying the group of new monsters. Brett looked around as he saw smoke and no duelists left to contend with. He sensed an evil presence on the roof, and he immediately took off heading towards the hole from earlier. He shot through it and he landed by 2; both warriors starred one another down.

Blair was now fully awake; she sat next to Jaden holding the necklace from Brett. Jaden had brought her up to speed about what had happened while she was injured. Blair was dumbfounded about what he had done for her but still she was smiling. "Brett did all that for me; I'm going to have to repay him when he gets back. It's just like Brett; whenever I'm in trouble he would come to my aid without fail. I just wish he did not have to in the first place, but he would find other ways to impress me."

Jaden laughed at her comment; "yep that's Brett. He has been like for a while always trying to be the hero. I know he will be back Blair; he cares way too much about you to fail. I just wish he could have told us about all this from the start. I mean it is so cool he has wings on his back."

Blair looked up at the screen displaying Brett on the roof; she spoke in a quiet voice. "It's because he never knew he had them. Brett told me once that he never knew anything about his past; so I think he just does not know about it. I hope he comes back to us safely; I do not want to lose him." Blair clenched her hand which held the necklace while she finished her statement.

Alexis sat behind them and put her hand on Blair's shoulder in an effort to comfort her. "Blair he will be back, because he made a promise to us. Brett use to seem to be two people rapped up into one, but I think he has changed. He seems determined and focused like he will never lose. We just have to believe in him and his safe return. Brett will come back because he has a strength we will never understand; and he will use it to keep us safe."

Brett stood on the roof staring down his new opponent. 2 swung his blade to his side while a single wing appeared behind him. Brett readied his blade and 2 did the exact same thing. "You shall survive no longer Brett; today I finish the mistake that she made so long ago. Your creator made you to destroy everything and gave you the power to finish this goal."

Brett looked at him with determination in his eyes; he spoke with passion in his voice. "You have tried to kill me and the people important to me; I will no longer allow this to continue. I am not some tool of destruction; I am not who I was created just to destroy. I have casted that destiny away from me; I will never allow my power to destroy any thing."

"If only you knew about the truth about your destruction rampage; but I'm not here to teach. I was sent here to kill you and that is all; you will need all the power you have to stop me." Brett growled at his opponent; "I will not let you make me doubt my self. Too many peoples' lives are counting on me. I know that I will win against you cause I'm fighting for something real and not some illusion."

"Very well; you are my primary target, but after I'm done I shall destroy your friends and this school as well. I will make them all suffer beyond what you are capable of imagining." Brett yelled while he began to walk forward; 2 had gotten to him with his last sentence. "You shall try, and you shall fail! My friends are down there, and they have supported me for a long time. I will never let any piece of trash hurt them. Your group keeps telling me that I should not exist; that you will do anything to destroy me. Your judgment is now at hand!" Brett built up to a run; he leapt into the air coming down on 2 with his blades.

Song end

Song Akuma no Keiyaku

Brett came straight down right through the air as his blades sunk into the roof of the school. But there was no blood, no swords clashing, and no enemy. Brett looked up as he saw feathers floating in the air. 2 had flown high into the air with a single trust of his single wing. "The fact is, I'm not evil. I may sacrifice the weak, but in the end I shall save everyone else. You are the greatest danger ever, which is why I must destroy you. You were created only to destroy, for that reason I will destroy you. Come forth and aid me in my fight. Let us see how well you fight against the dragons you love so much!"

Lighting crashed in the skies as six summoning circles appeared. Each circle was five times the size of the school. Archaic symbols were all across the summoning traveling towards the center. Brett immediately new that something large was about to happen. This was a trap and it had been planned for a while; this was starting to become an impossible task.

Each began to spin; all of the circles began to spin in the same direction. Their speed built up to an incredible pace; and then smaller circles closer began to spin. Each circle that was smaller began to spin in another direction that opposed the larger one above it. Speed built and energy sparked between the portals. The light from the pure energy lit the dark night sky.

Brett then heard the terrible roar of multiple dragons from the six portals. He braced himself for the worst outcome; but he was never ready for what was about to come at him. The six summoning circles shot six burst of light that stopped around the school. The faded to reveal six of the most powerful dragons in the game he had played with such enthusiasm. The dragons appeared around Brett; hovering in mid air with their teeth and claws fully visible to Brett. At that very moment Brett realized how difficult the task before him was.

Around the school now flew the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Dragon Master Knight, Blue Eyes Shinning Dragon, Five God Dragon, Red Eyes Darkness Dragon, and the Chaos Emperor Dragon. "You shall never live out your future of destruction! I will not allow you to ever live that destiny out!" 2 shouted as he landed on the back of the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. The dragons roared and snarled and Brett stood there as he felt a slight bit of fear control his heart.

Song Gaia x Chaos x Abyss

Brett took off with a downwards beat of his wings; he flew up into the clouds with a single beat of his wings. All six dragons gave chase flying at their top speeds; they all had one target and Brett was it. Brett flew above the clouds; he tried to get out a card, but was forced to run when the six dragons appeared behind him. The dragons began to shooting blasts of energy at him forcing Brett to dodge. Brett dodged each one as the dragons swarmed from behind him; while extraordinary powerful blasts that were barely dodged by Brett.

Brett knew there was little way out and if he did not think of a plan this was going to be quick. He began to fly downwards to the clouds below him; the dragons flew down as well not wanting to lose their target. The six dragons came through the clouds but they lost sight of Brett. He was nowhere to be found in the area and 2 cursed the dragons for losing Brett. Then they heard a battle cry from behind them; Brett emerged with the Sword of the Dragon's Soul.

Brett flew at the Dragon Master Knight at top speed with a fierce cry that he never knew he could muster. He gave the creature little time to react and Brett immediately plunged the sword into the creature with no second thoughts. Turning away, he flew out of the area leaving the swords effect to take place and gain a slight advantage. The Dragon Master Knight exploded seconds after the sword was plunged through the creature. Brett did not wait and returned into the clouds; four of the remaining dragons followed Brett.

2 waited on the back of the creature he had chosen. "I think it is time we showed him we are not as dumb as he thinks us to be. I'm starting to think about taking things up another notch." 2 gave a smile before he waved to dragon, and the dragon took off in the direction motioned.

Brett led them on for a bit, before turning summoning his blades of light back to his hands. He turned around and launched multiple blade beam slashes at the dragons that easily dodged each one. Red Eyes and F.G.D. attacked from afar using more energy beams; while the other two flew around him slashing with there claws and biting.

Brett dodged the attacks of F.G.D. He flew upwards before seeing Red Eye's blast coming towards him; Brett was forced to improvise using his blade to block the blast. The attack hit Brett crushing the blade of light; the blade exploded and shattered into the shards that gave Brett slight cuts. Brett decided to retreat off and away from this hopeless situation; this fight was wearing him down quickly.

The dragons continued there assault of energy attacks; Brett could only dodge the blasts. He pushed his wings harder and harder; trying to escape from the assault that he could not fight against. He flew away from Duel Academy; leading the dragons deep into the dessert. Suddenly the four dragons stopped there assault; Brett looked back to see the four dragons nearly stalled like they gave up.

Brett breathed a sigh of relief before turning back to see the Blue Eyes Ultimate burst up through the clouds. The dragon had already charged its attack; it burst through the clouds and hit Brett enveloping him in the light of its positron blast. The blast faded and Brett was consumed by a blast that crippled his body. Brett began to fall through the sky; his clothes even more singed then before. He fell through the sky with the feeling like his body was nothing more then dead weight.

Song Kakusei Shin Asuka

Brett fell downwards as his wings felt useless and irrelevant in the fight. His entire body had failed him completely. There was no longer anyway for him to win this battle; his mind wandered; each second felt as long as a full life time. He began to ask himself, was this the end of his life? Was this how he was going to die? Had he failed all of his friends?

Tears formed in Brett's eyes; he was a failure. He had condemned them all to death upon his failure. Soon he would be dead; but then the happy times with his friends came back. Brett screamed to the heavens; then Brett pictured his friends and remembered their lives were at stake as well. He did not want things to end this way; there was still so much he wanted to experience along side everyone he cared so deeply about. Brett clenched his fist as he thought; I'm not going to let it end this way. I'm going to win this and make it back to my friends.

Brett continued to fall; he let spread his arms out as far as possible in a t formation. His wings snapped back out; they stopped Brett from falling like gravity became non-existent. Brett let out a fierce battle cry while light emerged from his body; covering the entire dessert dimension in white light.

Brett emerged now with four wings along his back. Two on each side of his spine; and the two on each side emerged from his back. Each wing was a pure white that emitted its own gentle glow. Brett also held two long broadswords in each hand. His body was fully healed and he had more then enough energy to send himself up into the sky with ease.

With a single thrust of his four wings Brett shot up at incredible speeds; he burst through the clouds, leaving cloud a trail behind him due to his intense speed. Brett flew high above the dragons; he rolled in the air coming down through the air and he readied his blades. The dragons began firing at Brett upon 2's command.

Each beam did not even come close to him; his burst of power drove his speed beyond belief. Brett easily dodged thanks too his new found speed; all five dragons continued to assault but soon feared this new fierce opponent. The dragons began to move out of the way of Brett's path with fear actually driving their retreat. The F.G.D flew upwards but found it difficult because it was heavy. It could not maneuver fast enough and fired one final shot at Brett; which Brett easily evaded.

Brett pushed his wings down and he went upwards tucking his wings behind his body. Brett traveled up high while he flew towards the dragon. His blades lengthened and began to fall down through the air. He came down with amazing force upon the dragon; cutting off all five of the dragon's heads. Brett jumped forward off the dragon taking his sword with him. The creature exploded behind Brett while he took off again through the air.

Brett flew away from the battle scene and he continued to lead the rest of the group far into the desert. Brett landed in the desert with the remaining four dragons flew high above; hovering in mid air. They looked down on Brett bearing their fangs and snarling with malicious intent. 2 jumped off his dragon and flew down landing gently in the sand. "So, you have proven you have some skill against my dragons. It's no wonder my boss says you must be destroyed now, but this time I will partake. I under estimated you, never did I think you would evolve in the midst of death. This time you shall have my full wrath upon you."

"You're not going to win; I still have a few more tricks up my sleeve. I activate Jaden's Skyscraper card!" A large portion of the desert turned into a giant city; filled with civilization. The city was nothing but skyscrapers and streets as far as the eye could see. Lights from buildings gave light in the dark city. This was Brett's last gambit and it took a lot out of him to create this city.

Song One Winged Angel

2 looked at his opponent with a frightening smile across his face. "So you're friends have chosen the place where you shall die. This is proving too be way too amusing for me to handle. You just don't understand why you must die, and I'm not in the mood to explain to you. My plan may have failed, but I have a back up plan, and I doubt you can handle its intensity."

2 leapt forward slashing at Brett who dodged backwards. "You are good at dodging, but I doubt you can handle a few hundred years of sword fighting experience. I'm the last of my race; and for me to die is not an option. I must survive for my races sake. We are in a league of our own here today; no one can truly aid you in this Brett; the Weapon of Light" 2 said while he raised his hand to the sky. Lightning began to tare the sky apart; with thunder that was almost painful to hear.

2 closed his eyes; he laughed and he looked up at to the sky high above him. The clouds began to rain hard; leaving both fighters to become quickly drenched with freezing cold rain. "I have been slaughtering those who should never have existed for thousands of years. I belong to an organization that stopped me from aging, and given me immortality. I'm over thousands of years old; I have long since traded my humanity for power. Do you even know what is going on out there? No you don't; how could you. I have fought better and you shall not be the one to defeat me here today!"

2 stood there for a second before dashing forward; he began to slash with intensity at Brett. Brett blocked with each of his blades as their blades locked together. 2 simply stomped the ground sending Brett the necessary inches off the ground. 2 pushed him back through the air with the blade. Brett flew backwards and he landed on his feat. He looked up to see 2 coming down on him with his blade ready to strike; Brett quickly moved to the side.

The sword fight continued as both fighters continued slashing as rain pored down on them. Brett went on the offense this time countering 2 slashes. 2 was twice as fast and twice as strong as Brett. The remaining force from each slash came of the blade creating more small cuts in Brett's apparel and skin.

Brett continued to fight as the dragons began launching attacks at the skyscrapers; crushing them in the area surrounding Brett and 2. Regardless of the explosions the two fighters continued while the sound of explosions and sound of buildings collapsing filled the air. They remained focused on ending the battle as they continued to fight. They parried and stabbed at each other; hardly landing any severe blows to the other's weapon. "So you can adapt quickly, but I wonder just how quickly. Brett is it?"

2 teleported around Brett; 2 slashed from different places at a remarkable speed that Brett attempted to match. Brett sensed 2's movements through the light surrounding them. It was the way Brett was able to dodge 2 and see. He had trouble viewing amongst the rain that continued to fall. Slashes came at Brett from all sides and Brett continued to parry each one without fail. 2's blade whipped through the air, while the rain slowly came to an end allowing Brett to see again.

2 was laughing when he stopped teleporting; returning to just attacking normally with his long katana blade. Brett was getting worn down by the constant barrage of attacks. Brett sacrificed 2 of his wings; they changed to energy that caused his blades to be filled with the power of light. The blades glowed bright white and Brett continued on.

2 began rotating his blade as it cut up the pavement bellow; each time the sword traveled at Brett cutting the ground below. Brett used his blades to divert each of them away from him. 2 double handed his blade; strengthening his next attack; it came up as Brett crossed his blade. Brett blocked the attack, but the strength caused him to fly in the air.

2 just stood there; he summoned an aura around his blade before he began swinging his blade as if fighting with the air around him. Each slash created a long crescent shaped beam that flew towards Brett. Each slash hit and forced him higher till he was well above the city. The dragons had stopped there assault. "I told you we were in a league of our own, and I know you were looking forward to a simple sword fight. But I just want you to have the best experience possible before you die."

2 stood amongst the almost ruined city; "I know I said sword fighting, but you will never experience this again!" 2 spread his hands out and couple of the surrounding skyscrapers glowed a dark purple aura. 2 made a fist with his free hand as the buildings were crushed into huge size chunks. "Ready?" 2 before lifting his hands to the sky; the chunks of the crushed skyscrapers flew upwards toward Brett.

Brett readied his blades; he flew downwards dodging and slashing thought the slabs of building. Each was hard to cut through and Brett quickly changed plans; he began dodging through openings between the slabs of concrete and metal. 2 watched a while before flying upwards into the debris after his target.

Brett continued flying through the slabs of building; 2 appeared before him before they locked their blades together. They forced each other back through the air; they rebounded of slabs of building. Launching back at the other with malicious intent; passing each other while the swords clashed. They rebounded and clashed before rebounding again of slabs of debris.

This time they stopped in mid air upon impact. They tried to pummel each other with blows from their sword, and they found them selves matching one another, blow for blow. Brett was getting quickly stronger and 2 was not going to let him get any better; 2 decided too split them up. He used his free hand to push them apart and away from one another.

2 landed on a slab pausing for a moment; he waved his hand causing the debris from the skyscrapers to begin to fall towards the ground. He teleported behind Brett grabbing him by his collar of his shirt; he used his strength to throw Brett out of the falling debris. Brett crashed into the top of the last remaining skyscraper; he slowly got up off the ground from the impact site.

Brett stood a top the building as he was breathing heavily; everyone including Yubel still watching with their attention never being diverted. Brett held his swords tight, whila he watched the ruble come crashing down. There was no sign of his enemy anywhere; the dragons still hovered in mid air waiting for a command.

Brett was having trouble standing due to the loss of blood, when he sensed 2 teleport behind Brett. Brett tried to get away and he made an attempt to parry the stabbing motion. But 2 was too close, and he plunged his sword just into the top portion of Brett's chest; just left of the center. 2 stood there with a smile across his face; his blade firmly in Brett's chest. 2 looked him and he said in a demeaning voice; "nothing special. You know I will just have to kill your friends too; that way no one will remember you at all. Their will be so much pleasure in taking apart your girlfriend piece by piece."

Brett's body surged with light, and 2 lost his grip on his blade. 2 flew backwards through the air holding his hand in pain. Brett's eyes glowed white; his voice booming with strength. "You will never hurt my friends and especially not Blair. They believe in me and I will never let them down!" Brett dropped the blade in his left hand and he removed 2's sword; tossing it aside.

Brett griped his blade with both hands. He let lose a terrifying battle cry as he charged forward. 2 tried to move but could not; something was holding 2 in place and this force was impossible for him to break. 2 struggled against the force holding him in place. Brett dashed forward, and he slashed what seemed like a thousand times with the light aura around his blade.

Each slash caused 2 to scream in pain. Brett gave one final slash before he let the aura disappeared. He lifted his sword and pressed his blade straight through 2's heart. He jumped back summoning his other sword back to his right hand. "Never threaten my friends. I win this battle; maybe you can understand now why I will never give up."

2's blade returned to his hand as he stood their in shock and disbelief. "You can never be stronger then me; you just cannot be stronger. You have just gone and made me angry; and I hate to be angry." 2 said with increasing tone of anger in his voice.

Brett stood a top the skyscraper along with 2; Brett's broadsword was still right trough his chest. Brett's body was cut and bruised; but he was still standing. 2 looked at him still in disbelief. "Why can I not kill you? I'm better then this; my plan called for you to be dead by now. I will accomplish my goal, even if I have to sacrifice the innocent to do so."

2 motioned to the dragons with his hands; the dragons roared shaking the very desert causing the sand to shift. The Chaos Emperor Dragon moved above the center of the city and it began to glow white. Souls of dead monsters flew towards the massive dragon; the energy began to grow, it was going to self destruct. The Blue Eyes Shinning, Red Eyes Darkness, and the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon flew off heading towards the school at top speeds.

Brett flew into the air after the three dragons, but 2 moved at lighting speed. "You are not going anywhere! You shall die right here and right now!"

Song Fukushuu – Freedom Gekiha

2 began slashing at Brett madly catching Brett off guard. Brett moved backwards and he blocked with his only remaining sword. Brett was having trouble keeping up tih the intensified pace, but he needed to get out of the area and save his friends. Brett tried to go around and 2 blocked his path; launching another wave of blade slashes. He had clearly gone mad with hate and power; he continued with more furious swipes of his katana blocking the way back to the Academy.

Brett was forced back with each swipe, and they quickly became more powerful and quick. Brett tried to summon his other sword to defend himself with; but 2 slid his blade in slicing the top of Brett's hand. Brett reacted by using his wings to blast backwards. His left hand was too badly damaged now to use. Brett screamed in pain and frustration before he rushed forward; trying to gain the advantage, but 2 was berserk now and had crippling strength.

With one stroke of 2's blade; Brett was sent 50 feat back. Brett slowly steadied himself with his wings. Brett opened his eyes to see 2 was moving at the speed of light. Brett readied his blade at his side. 2 looked furious and a demon red aura surrounded him. "I shall kill you. I shall erase you! I must kill you, for the future of all! The mistakes of the past shall be erased today, no matter the cost, no matter the sacrifice. For the greater good, I must prevail in this fight!"

2 flew through the air at high speeds closing the gap almost instantly, before continuing slicing at Brett. Brett was desperately trying to keep up with the pace. 2 swung all the way around knocking Brett further away each time. Brett felt something appear in his bad left hand. A card had appeared in his hand from nowhere; Brett glanced at the card, knew this card could possibly save him.

2 had teleported disappearing from his sight till Brett heard the words; "Oblivion Crush!"

Brett turned to see 2 flying towards him; his blade pure black. Brett lifted his left hand shouting to the heavens; "Mirror Force!" 2 plunged his blade into the shield of light when a massive explosion ensued. The surrounding area exploded with dust filling the air; blocking all sight of what had happened. But Blair and everyone listening to the explosion swore they could hear a mirror shattering along with Brett's hope of returning.


	3. Chronicles of Light Part 3

Chapter 11 Shattered Souls

Chapter 11 Shattered Souls

The smoke and dust cleared; everyone watched with great interest to see what had happened. Everyone held their breath and waited to see the result; no words escaped anyone's mouths. No one had any idea who had won the skirmish; all of Brett's friends prayed Brett was still alive. Blair slowly stood up with tears forming in her eyes; she did not want to lose him.

The three dragons flew closer and closer to the school, while the Chaos Emperor Dragon continued to build energy up; getting ready to self destruct. Even in the gym the duelists could feel the massive amount of energy building to an amazing point. Slowly the smoke cleared and Blair's heart skipped a beat when she beheld what had happened.

The screen slowly rotated showing Brett and 2; they were right in front of another facing their opponent. 2's sword had been diverted left and away from the center of Brett's chest. Brett's left hand held the card up in front of him and his bloody hand dropped to his side. Brett's face was quivering from the pain, while 2 on the other hand had a complete look of shock across his face.

Mirror Force trap had activated; sending all the energy off 2's Oblivion Crush back at him. His body was badly destroyed, still slightly resembling a normal body but with many deep cuts. His own energy had been fully reversed back to him and the power had torn him to shreds. His blade had pierced the trap, but the shear energy coming back at 2 had left him week and useless.

Brett slowly snapped out of the pain of that attack; he remembered where he was, and what he had too. He still had to save the school and he had to continue onwards.

Song Moment

"You have failed your organization. You have threatened my friends with death, and you tried to end my life. I will not let you hurt anyone else ever again, and I'm sorry to say there is only one way to do that." Brett floated there motionless while he spoke. Brett grabbed hold of 2's sword; he crushed it with his damaged left hand. He grabbed hold of 2 by his collar and he rolled in the air; tossing 2 up towards the Chaos Emperor Dragon. 2 collided into the dragon; and he screamed at his fate.

Brett flew downwards through the air quickly; gaining speed before he pulled up before colliding into the earth. He reached back grabbing a feather from one of his wings. He rubbed the feather down his arm to his hand; the wound glowed, and his left arm was healed the wound returning it back to normal. Brett whipped his hands to his side, and his blades reappeared. At that moment the Chaos Emperor Dragon exploded destroying the remnants of the once proud field spell; while 2's body dissolved in the force and power of the dragon's effect.

The blast came close to Brett, but he kept his pace and out ran the attacks radius. Brett lifted his arms; two of his wings shot out wards creating two triangles of light, which began to circle Brett. Brett flew faster then he ever had before in the previous portion of this fight. His determination was a flame; he had come so far and he still was finding amazing amounts of strength.

He slowly gained on the Red Eyes Darkness Dragon; the triangles fired beams of light at the dragon's wings and body. It was pelted with blasts of light energy, and it lost control of it self. The dragon tumbled in the air and turned its head to see Brett close the gap; slicing off the dragon's head with a single blade. Brett summoned his deployed wings back to his back; he used all four of his wings to propel him up to the next dragon.

Brett bolted forward coming down on the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, but it split into three Blue Eyes White Dragons leaving him to slice the air. All three newly formed dragons turned their heads as they flew away. Each fired a blast at Brett; he dodged by flying up out of the beams path. Brett moved in on one; slicing at it to which the creature roared, while the dragon dodged backwards.

Two other two flew away; the last of the three charged at Brett without mercy. The dragon bit at him; Brett flipped forwards in the air thanks to his wings. Brett flipped over it, and he tossed one blade into the dragon's back. The dragon roared in pain and snarled at Brett. Brett stabilized him self in the air; the dragon turned launching another attack at Bret. Brett flew away from the blast to the other side while he dodged. He turned around in the air instantly; his wings pushed him forward moving in close and he relieved the dragon of its head.

Brett floated there for an instant catching his breath; his body became heavier and heavier but more power kept fueling him. He looked for the other two dragons, but could see nothing anywhere. Brett felt the temperature sharply rise in an instant; he looked up towards the sky and saw the Blue Eyes Shinning Dragon begin to use its effect. The temperature rose steadily; Brett immediately began to fly up into the sky. Brett stopped a hundred feet away from the creature, before letting his wings explode off his back; they exploded into thousands of feathers.

He moved his hands in front of him; he hung there in mid air, while the feathers swirled around him. The field of feathers expanded before they created a bubble shield of light around Duel Academy and Brett. Brett had trouble holding back the full force of the attack; each wave of heat caused pain to his entire body. Brett struggled and cringed to the pain from keeping the heat and force at bay. Then the attack slowly faded; Brett stopped hovering, his shield breaking back into feathers. He slipped in and out of consciousness while he fell towards the school head first.

While Brett fell his vision struggled to see anything. Then he saw the two remaining Blue Eyes begin charging up their attacks. Brett had not come this far to let his friends die by some inferior creatures to the ones he had all ready faced. Brett re-summoned his swords to his hands; he held them out away from his body. All of the feathers flew towards him; encircling his blades, and they turned into javelins of light.

Brett aloud the javelins to build up energy; he only had one last shot and it had to work. He focused in on the dragons and got ready for the last attack. Brett did a barrel roll and he thru both javelins a few seconds apart from the other. They both traversed right through the dragons. The javelins left through the other side of the dragons' chests. The energy left the blades; leaving the blades to fly through the air and stick into the roof.

With his enemies all defeated Brett was left to fall; he could not summon his wings back since he had used all his energy. All of his energy was gone, but this horrible attack was over. Brett continued to fall; but as he did he grabbed another card from his pocket. He lifted it; holding it in front of him and he disintegrated into the air. The battle was over and everyone watched the hero fade from existence.

Pause for Song to End

Song Ignited Piano Version

Everyone in the gym and on earth watched Brett disappear; the screens now focused on his swords stuck in the roof. The magic allowing them to see the events faded; everything returned to normal with the desert still scared. Everyone fell deadly silent; was Brett gone forever?

People in the real world stood there; no one really knew what to make of what had transpired. Most recognized who was fighting, but had no clue what had gone on. People where left with so many questions, but the duelists in the gym knew all to well what had happened. Every one of Brett's friends in the gym stood there not making a sound; they were not about to accept this reality that had been placed before them.

Blair however dropped to her knees; she cried out in pain trying desperately trying to let out all her feelings. "Brett? No he can't be gone, he just cannot! I had so many things I wanted to tell him. I never thanked you for all that you did for me, this is just not fair. I wanted to repay you; and I wanted to be with you. Brett why? Why did this happen to you?"

Blair's eyes were closed; she cried her heart out filling the gym with sound and sadness. The others looked at her but could not move; the pain was still too real for them as well. Everyone was sad but just could not express it. Then through the roof two objects floated down. A single card floated down in front of Jaden; it was his field card and was in perfect condition. The second object floated right in front of Blair.

It was a single white feather floated down just a foot in front of her. She reached out to get it, but it disintegrated into the air before she could touch it. Blair shouted to the roof above; "Brett I want you back, more then anything. Even if it is only for a few moments, I need you here; you promised you would come back to us."

No one felt like doing anything, they all stood there saddened by the loss of their friend who had fought, and put his life on the line to protect them. The swords stuck in the roof disappeared and silence was broken by gusts of wind.

The swords reappeared sinking into the sand holding a warrior that struggled upwards. Two swords were plunged into the desert helping Brett to his feet despite his lack of strength. "I'm not done yet, there is still more I can do. I will go onwards!"

"I know I told you guys I would come back, and I will, but first I need to some last minute things to do. I can still do more;" Brett said while he re-summoned his wings back. "I have strength that I need to move, but not enough to heal myself, guess this will have to do. I will need time to rest and I think they are probably running low on supplies; I think I have the strength to do this, but I will do it for everyone."

Brett looked at the school that was still filled with enemies; he took off into the sky, slowly at first till he built up speed. He circled the school looking to make sure that was all of the monsters that it was truly over. Then he laughed at the fact he had survived this; maybe he really was a hero.

Brett turned back before diving into the school where the glass was already broken from earlier. Brett entered through the hole perfectly and he landed near the infirmary on the second floor. Brett heard a voice from behind; he turned and saw Mrs. Fontaine staring at him chanting the word duel. Brett looked at her and he said to her in a soft voice. "Sorry no duel disk, but let's see if I still have the strength to cure the doctor. I owe you this much for helping me so much."

Brett grabbed another feather from his back and he thru it at her. It flew through the air like a knife, and it passed through her. The feather changed to light energy and melted into her; canceling the dark energy that controlled her. She collapsed to the ground, but Brett grabbed her before she landed on the ground. Brett quickly picked her up in both of his arms. He took off flying down the hall and he entered into the main hallway.

Strangely it was empty of anything living, but Brett did not have the time to question why. He landed by the gym's entrance silently; trying not to alert anyone. He set Fontaine down to rest and recover. Brett took off again down hallways; he looked for a certain area that was going to aid him. He arrived at the vault where all the food was stored.

He landed; entering the room on foot staring at the guards. They chanted the word duel to Brett and Brett looked at them. "Sorry no time to duel; I need in to get some food for my friends and you guys are in my way." Brett used his wings to create a gust of wind; knocking the guards against the wall and they were instantly knocked out.

Song Davy Jones

Brett ran over to the vault and he tore the door off the vault. Inside was more then enough food. Brett laid multiple blankets on the ground before putting as much food as he could on the blanket. When he was done he took the corners bundling it all up as he left; heading back to the gym feeling a sense of accomplishment.

Brett was back in the main hall again; his wings still collapsed behind him. He dragged the large sac of food and supplies to the doors. He entered the main hall and noticed there were no zombie duelists what so ever. Brett found this strange almost; like something was wrong. The entire main hall was completely silent; no sounds no anything; almost like it was sealed off from the rest of the world.

Brett looked at the entrance to the gym; Fontaine was still in the same place Brett had left her earlier. Brett placed the sac of food and supplies beside the gym door. He paused at the entrance; he was nervous about seeing them. They were probably worried about him since they had no idea of what had happened. Brett looked at the door; he began to try and work up the courage. "I don't know if I can face them, they are going to let me have it for worrying them so much. Blair is really going to give me hell…"

A deep voice bellowed from down the hall; "it does not matter, for you will never make it back." Brett turned around away from the gym to see a single hand come at him. It wrapped around Brett's neck. He found him self being lifted off the ground, and his air supply was almost cut off. He could barely breath, and all Brett could do was struggle. The stranger who stood before Brett was tall; he was dressed in black and had ghost white hair that almost matched Brett's hair.

"So you're the one defeated number 2, a loss to my organization though there is still purpose to his death. To see you evolving so quickly is; troubling. You still continue to fight your true purpose behind your creation. I myself am still having trouble piecing together the events that have but you in this position. You were created by her, thousands of years ago. She took the time to make you and your seven counterparts; for lack of a better word, perfect. Listen well to what I say; you do not have any memories because you woke up a short time ago. Have you ever wondered why you have no memories? Because they are sealed away by something; but do not fear because I will free them so you can see the truth."

Brett felt a small burst of energy run thru his mind, and memories were unlocked deep within his mind. Pictures and clips flashed through his mind of him in a glass container filled with liquid, images of data in another language, voices. But then the most horrible scene came into his mind that horrified Brett to his very core.

Brett looked onto a destroyed world, and there stood a giant creature, huge as an entire kingdom. The mysterious creature stared down onto a village destroyed; surviving women and children clustered together. Brett could sense the truth, that creature was him.

Brett looked on; while the creature shrunk down into what he looked like now. He summoned his blades to his side; he walked up to the remaining survivors who were all women, children, old and young men. Brett looked on while they begged his younger self for mercy. But Brett would hear none of it; his blades glowed white as he cut the innocent down without mercy. The Brett from the memories summoned his white wings, and flew up into space. He passed the outer atmosphere and transformed back into the creature from before. Slowly its attention turned back to the planet; it charged and shot a beam from its chest. The beam collided in the world and instantly the planet was destroyed.

Brett watched in horror at the horrific scene. The sad truth was told to him in a woman's voice that sounded familiar from his past; "My perfect weapon." It no longer mattered where the memories came from. Brett believed that they were real; and that is when Brett started to hate him self and he gave up on him self.

Brett's wings disappeared entirely; Brett stopped struggling against his opponent's grip; he just hung there lifelessly. After he had seen his memories; he lost all will to survive. He could not live with the horrible things he had done; he no longer wanted to return to his friends. He hung from the strangers hand lifelessly lost in his own hatred for him self.

"Now you know the truth, and so do I. You are a living breathing weapon created in a laboratory by another monster. Now that you have accepted the truth about who you really are; you can accept your death and go peacefully."

The stranger summoned a long broadsword with arcane patters along the blade. He positioned it at Brett's chest; he readied his blade when he heard another voice behind him shout. "STOP! If you strike him down then the creature you have been trying to destroy will be unleashed."

The man holding Brett looked over his shoulder to see another man behind him. "You must be the original one they based the mold of this thing. Why would you make such a lame attempt to save something that stole your identity? I thought with all the rumors that you were trying to get rid of these abominations as well?" Questioned the stranger, while he let his blade touch the ground.

"Do not be mistaken! I despise these creatures that act like humans and stole my name; but you have crushed his spirit and rendered him almost useless. His mind is shattered by the truth of what he is, but his creator was no fool. She took her time and she scoured the farthest reaches of time and space looking for the perfect features for her perfect weapons. You have now caused a safeguard to activate; should the mind be damaged. If someone like yourself were to plunge your blade into his chest; it would activate causing his ultimate form to arise. All his power will be unleashed making him near invincible. Should this happen all you have fought for will be undone and you shall die as well. Besides I doubt your organization could afford to lose another member; aren't you down to three members now."

"You are far too over confident. Just because you have been around for such a long time. How do you know this?" the stranger questioned.

"I've seen it before; it happened to the Weapon of Wind under adverse or near impossible conditions; and then he became near indestructible with limitless power. They have powers from all across time, and I doubt their true and full potential will ever be tapped. But killing this one would be a mistake."

"To let him live would be would be a scar on my organizations record. There is no other choice;" the stranger lifted his blade again before the voice from behind him continued. "There is always another way to get rid of them; seal them away the same way the gods did with the titans. You just have to research this magic a bit."

"Very well" the stranger said tossing Brett's lifeless body in front of the cloaked mysterious man. "I cannot allow their true power to awaken. He has given up on his life anyway; perhaps he shall do me the favor of killing himself, so that I will not have to return. I shall leave him for now; it is a shame he had such a powerful soul.

The stranger that held Brett up by the throat disappeared into a portal of black energy. Only Brett, Fontaine, and the cloaked man remained in the hallway; the cloaked man circled around Brett's body. "Isn't he an impressive liar; I swear he has almost bought into his own lies. You should feel honored "Brett"; he know considers you enough of a threat that he wants to kill you him self."

The man looked down on Brett; shaking his head side to side. "You are so lucky that he is needs more then just your soul; other wise I doubt I could have stopped him. The organization of remnants has been around for over ten thousand years. Its goals are three simple things. One; to gather any remnants of races of creatures that are almost extinct. Two; to revive the founder of their organization through the collection of powerful souls and with those souls revive him. And last is their last goal is to wipe any possible threats that could come back at them later. I however am not interested in them achieving goal number two. He may end up being as big of a menace as you are; I have absolutely no interest in seeing that man revived. There is a way through every defense though; and this will do nicely. I will return and kill you; you can be sure of that."

The cloaked man waved his hand; Brett's body spammed and shivered when the wave of the air from the hand hit him. "That disease will cripple what is left of you; it will leave you helpless and weak enough for me to kill you."

The cloaked man summoned his green wings and left on foot; leaving Brett crippled both in body and mind to die on the floor. He snapped his wingers as he left the area. The area flickered and sound came back to the area. Mrs. Fontaine slowly woke up as she looked around getting up slowly. She looked behind her as she saw the doors to the gym. She looked back in front of her as she saw Brett laying face down shivering on the ground. "Brett!" she yelled while running over to his side.

She lifted up as she able to see all his wounds when she realized how bad he was. She lifted him up in her arms and lifted him over despite how weak she was. Slowly she moved to the gym doors and she began to pound on the doors. "Someone please help now."

Song Spirit of the Universe

Everyone's ears perked up to the cry for help. Jaden and Jesse immediately ran to the door tearing down the barrier. Everyone looked on in anticipation of finding out who it was. Blair rose and her heart skipped a beat; she prayed to see Brett come thru the doors. Everyone stood up trying to get a good look; anything was a beam light in this dark hour.

Jim, Axel, and Hasleberry ran over aiding Jesse and Jaden, and soon they cleared the path. All five tarred down the barrier much faster together; they were eager too find out who was at the door. Soon the doorway was cleared as they opened the door; two people came into the light and everyone held there breathe. Slowly the light revealed Mrs. Fontaine as she helped Brett through the door and everyone watched. "Good to see you're all still ok;" Mrs. Fontaine said as the gym erupted in loud celebratory cheers.

Blair, Alexis, and Britney ran over too the door as fast as they possibly could. Mrs. Fontaine set Brett down as fell into a kneeling position; allowing her to relax a little. Blair ran in rapping her arms around Brett's neck as she pulled him in close and she began to cry on his shoulder. She pulled back to see Brett's lifeless eyes, and his emotionless quivering visage.

"Brett you're alive, I have never been so happy about anything in my life. I have so much I want to tell you, and I promise I will not let you out of my sight again." Blair paused waiting for Brett to respond but no words escaped his mouth. Blair smile faded and she became increasingly worried, and she began to franticly question him. "Brett are you ok? Brett answer, say anything! Please, don't give up now. Not after all of this; I want to be with you!"

"Blair he is not doing to good, he is in pretty rough shape. He has many wounds that I may not be able to help, and he is suffering from some kind of disease." Hasleberry looked outside as he saw the large package outside the gym as he went out grabbing it and dragging it inside. "Wow supplies and lot's of them too." Britney ran over smacking him in the back of the head; she gave him an evil look. Alexis kneeled beside Brett; she looked at his dull eyes and at how much he was sweating; "what happened to you Brett? Please do not give up."

"Mrs. Fontaine, you can help him right?" Jaden questioned as he stood in front of her. She looked sad and she responded in quiet voice. "I'm not sure if there is anything I can do Jaden. His body is in incredibly bad shape, and what ever is wrong with him is quickly getting worse."

Blair expression turned to sorrow; she pressed her head into Brett's chest and continued to sob. Suddenly a voice came from down the hall; a girl came running down the hall and she carried a case in her hand. "Wait; please wait! I can help." She ran into the gym before Hasleberry and Jesse closed the doors.

"I'm sorry; I'm later getting here then I intended, but I can help him." The new female looked at Brett's wounds and she gasped. "No; the organization got to him first, I must act quickly." She ran down the steps turning and yelling at them, "Bring him over here quickly!"

On the roof the man with the green wings stood as he watched the sun began to rise; enjoying the peaceful state of things. He thought about his next move; he looked to the sky and he said; "what an interesting night. I doubt he will survive longer then twelve hours in that state, but he will survive. I need to as chaotic as she is; it is the only way I can meet her again. Her creations will follow; I will set everything right. I shall fix the mistakes I have made, and Brett you shall help me achieve this goal."

The next twelve hours Mrs. Fontaine and the new female worked tirelessly, while Brett's friends watched without with little sleep. Blair struggled to stay up the whole time; she was too worried to sleep. The two girls patched Brett up; they removed the blade fragments in his chest and bandaged him. After all of Brett's wounds were bandaged; the new girl took a needle filled with a blue liquid; she explained that it would stop the disease he was carrying. She injected Brett with the blue substance and his fever immediately dropped.

The new female came over to his worried friends; the sun had gone down and night was upon them. She looked at them with a smile across her face; "he will be fine. You all should get rest, and you can go rest by him if you want. His disease is not contagious and it will be gone by morning. In the morning we will have plenty to talk about, so get some sleep." The new female walked away from Brett's friends and Blair got up off the steps. Blair stopped the new girl and Blair spoke to her; "I never got the chance to thank you. Brett means a lot to me; I owe you so much for helping him."

The new girl turned back; "there is no need to thank me at all. I have my reasons for helping him, and that is all you need to know." She smiled, Blair ran over too Brett; she got down and lay beside Brett putting her head on his chest. She was so happy he was back and soon she fell asleep. While the man with the green wings stood a top of the school. He flew up into the air summoning his blade; he began flying into the sky but stopped when he felt Brett's aura begin to recover. He stopped and paused looking down on Duel Academy; "more outside interference. Brett you will lead me to your creator, and there I will end all the mistakes I have made. The chaotic era begins now and everything shall change…"

He shook his head and he bolted through the air; disappearing into thousands of waves of green energy. This was just the beginning of a much bigger story…

Pause as Song Ends

Chapter 12 Friendship and Love

It was midnight when Brett came too; he still incredibly weak from the battle that came before. He could not m6ove at all; he was completely immobilized as he even had trouble breathing. Brett looked up at the roof above; he thought back on his horrible memories. Nightmares haunted him and cursed his min with their terrible truths.

Brett was no longer in the mood to be around his friends; he was fully aware of all his powers. Nothing frightened him more then the beast he now felt inside of him; the beast that could be unleashed any moment. It sat there in his mind; larger and with more frightening power; waiting to devour him when Brett lost control. He could never let that power out; for it would destroy far more then him self.

He closed his eyes as he wished for the strength to end the future nightmare. He had long since decided that he had to die, to truly protect the people he cared about. Then Brett felt something resting on his chest. He could just barely see his chest, but then he saw the back of Blair's head. She was resting peacefully on his chest; she also had her arm across his chest and she gave a happy moan from her sleep. She was sleeping as close as she possibly could; unaware of how much of a danger Brett knew he was.

Brett felt weak and he slowly drifted back to sleep; unable to stay awake any longer. The smell of Blair's hair drifted across his mind. He cared so much about her; enough that he never wanted to put her in danger again. If he lost control; would he hurt her? He could never allow that; nor could he allow any of his friends to be hurt. Brett passed out as thoughts that he had to end this forever became fixed in his mind.

Morning came and Blair woke up; slowly she turned back to look at Brett who was still sound asleep; he looked so much more peaceful and relaxed then yesterday. Blair sat up fully when she saw the new girl staring in her direction. "Who are you staring at?" "Oh no one in particular." New girl said as she smiled; "You two are just so cute together; I could not help but admire that fact. Hurry up and get ready, ten minutes and were all going to get to know the full situation."

Once everyone had woken up and was ready; they were all around Brett in a circle; "So first let's get the introductions out of the way. My name is Samantha, I'm from an organization known as the Organization of Knolidia; a secret organization on my world that uses an advanced piece of technology to gain information."

"Um, excuse me. Did you just say your from another world?" Jesse questioned while looking rather puzzled. "Yes; the group I'm with is from another world. The equipment my group uses is from another civilization, and to tell the truth we are not sure how it works. But we do know that it allows us to explore the universe through teleportation. But I should pause for a second; what are your names."

Jaden, Alexis, Hasleberry, Jesse, Axel, Mrs. Fontaine, Adrian, Jim, and Blair all introduced themselves to Samantha. "Well it's nice to meet all of you, but I guess I should tell you about Brett; and I know this will be a lot to take in, but please allow me to finish. Allow me to present the weapon of light, model number LGHT-X008. He is part of weapons created approximately ten thousand years ago. His power reaches far beyond what any normal person could hope to achieve by any means. But as far as we know; the weapons cannot be classed as human. They were meant to be the first biological weapons capable of evolving infinitely to achieve some goal, which is not clear to us. Brett here is the eighth in the series of weapons, and the other 7, we do not know there locations. They were created by seven people along with the person behind it all."

Blair put her hand on Brett's head as he twitched slightly. Jaden looked at Brett concerned for what this information would do to him. "Brett is not some weapon; who was the person behind this." Samantha closed her eyes as she continued. "We know little about her, but the information we have collected has told us a bit about her. Her name is Jenova; she is from one of the races that existed at the start of time. She was the one who created the final weapon project; she is the one who truly created Brett, and sadly it was for destruction. Jenova is bad news, and we have no clue what her true goals are."

"Brett is not a weapon; I know him and he is not some force of destruction. Everyone keeps telling him that he is a force of destruction but he is not!" Blair protested and all his friends agreed. "I know, he does not seem anything like that, but we gathered a notebook by a person named Arniath. It took a thousand years to translate what we have, and we know this to be true. The group tried to create eight weapons each with individual abilities; with some kind of special ability between the eight. It is for this reason that they are being targeted by galactic organizations. The one that has been trying to kill Brett is known as the Organization of Remnants. A group of creatures from different races from across time and space. We know that there were three at least from the information we have gathered, but this group is deadly."

"We know; they have tried to kill Brett at least a few times. That is why Brett is in this state." Jim said and he explained the battle in detail to Samantha, and what they had heard from 2.

"2? He came personally? He is the second to be attained by the organization; the second most powerful in the group, but if he died then the leader must have come. This group has only one main goal; to revive their predecessor. A creature from a race that disappeared long ago; this creature was the very peak of that race. They collect remnants of the civilizations of the past; they offer them power and immortality in return for there services. Those who would never join, like Brett, are killed; but that is not the end. They collect souls through two processes. Both are through the weapons they use; if it kills a person it takes their soul for the organization. The other is if the owner dies, it takes the soul of the user, and then they will use alchemy to fuse the souls together to bring him back. But if Brett killed 2, then the leader would no doubt try something, I'm only afraid of what he may have done."

"He showed me who I truly am. A monster that should never have existed." Brett said and every one looked over at him; his eyes were barely open. "Brett you're awake! How are you feeling, do you need any water or food? You must still be tired still after how hard you fought yesterday;" Blair said with a smile.

"I feel like I want to roll over and die; but unfortunately I'm completely immobilized, otherwise I would have done it long ago." Blair and everyone was confused about his statement; Blair grabbed his hand tightly. "Brett what are you talking about, you saved all of us. You risked your life and did more then anyone could have. You have no idea of just how much we all suffered when we thought you died." Blair said while tears formed in her eyes.

"You do not know what I am, what lurks inside of me. There is a force inside me; a force that seeks freedom, and if it gets out I do not think I could contain it. It could destroy an entire world, and I'm the true monster; the only thing that the organization taught me, is that I killed innocent people. I destroyed a whole planet of innocent people without regret or second thought! What kind of hero does something like that?"

"But that's not who you are Brett; I know you." Blair said between sobs. and Brett shook his head in defiance. "No you don't; nobody has ever known the true me. I'm no hero, and I'm no hero. Just leave me alone!"

Brett yelled loud while he closed his eyes. Blair put her head to his chest while she continued to cry. Slowly everyone got up, and Alexis pulled Blair away leaving Brett alone. Once they walked up the steps away; Samantha looked at the group and said; "So I am too late. The organization showed him locked away memories. But unfortunately they are most likely real; Jenova preformed tests on the weapons. So unfortunately he is right about that, but it just does not fit together."

Hasleberry gazed at Samantha in a confused manor; "Ah, what does not fit together?" Samantha snapped out of deep thought and she said; "well, the information collected suggests that this was a huge experiment meant to do something big. So why would Jenova send these weapons across time and space. And even more importantly, why did she give them emotions and feelings; it does not add up. And now Brett's spirit is crushed, and I cannot help with this; so I guess this is up to you and your friends."

"What do you mean?" Hasleberry said even more confused. "You guys are Brett's friends and the closest thing he will have to a family. If anyone could bring him back, it is you guys; unfortunately this is his spirit that is crushed, not just his body. So who is going first?" questioned Samantha. "I would but I do not know him that well; till then I will find another way to help."

"I think it would be best if Blair was last;" Alexis said. "She needs to think long and hard about what she is going to say. She will have the greatest impact on him, and I know she needs time to think." Blair looked up to Alexis thanking her for understanding how important this was to her; Alexis continued on while smiling down on Blair. "So Blair will go last and I'm going second last, and Britney is third last. That way all three of us can think about what to say together. This has to be well thought out."

Jaden smiled and he shouted; "I got it! I'll go first cause I know just what to say. I'll have him back to normal in no time Blair."

Jaden ran over sat beside Brett who was still laying down. "I thought I said I wanted to be left alone." Jaden just smiled at him and he said; "still not in the mood to talk? That's ok because I'll talk and you just have to listen. I know you think you are evil, but I know you're not. I mean if you were you would probably be wearing some evil disguise or have some over the top plan to take over the world. I've faced some pretty bad things, like Sartorius at the end of last year. Now he was over the top and kept saying that I was full of darkness and destruction, but he was the evil one. I mean come on, me evil! And when I faced the light of destruction; it felt way more harmful then you're light. You were pretty different at the start of the year, but you have become a good friend to all of us. We do not want to lose you after all of that; besides you still got to duel me for that card."

Jaden got up and he started to blush while he spoke. "Oh and sorry, but you're going to have to put up with one of these speeches from all of us. Brett I know I gave you a quick talk, but I just want you to remember that we all care about you; especially Blair. The sooner you but this behind you the sooner we can get home; once were there we can just relax, so get back to normal soon." Brett just laid there looking up to the roof of the gym while Jaden left; still unconvinced about why he should exist.

Moments of peace past before another familiar voice began to speak to him. "Hey Brett, how you doing? You must be still worn out after that wild fight yesterday so I'll and keep this short;" said Jesse. Axel, Adrian, Hasleberry, and Jim followed behind him looking down onto Brett. "I know you have had it tough till now; you been put through more then you should have. But listen; we are not sure what you have been through, but we just wanted you to know that you are our friend. We are positive you'll find you're self again, after all many of the guys do not know you yet. We just hope you make the right choice; we will support you no matter what you do."

Everyone in the group left except for Hasleberry; he told the others to go on ahead and leave him behind. He sat down beside Brett and began to speak to him. "How you doing soldier? Listen I just wanted to say thanks for taking care of all of; especially Blair. You and her are new to our group but we are all glad to have you aboard. I just want to say… Well to tell you to take care of Blair; she is happiest with you and I hope you take that seriously. I just want to see Blair kept safe, and I would like to get the real you, not that weapon thing. So I hope you stay with us; it would mean a lot to each of us." Hasleberry left Brett's side, but as he left Britney passed him and gave him a smile; "Nice speech Hasleberry."

Britney came over sitting beside Brett; she lay down beside him; staring up at the roof. "Hey Brett, how's it going, you know even though Blair won that duel I still care about you right? Maybe that's why I cannot think of just what to say; I mean I never really got to know you or even got that close. So I guess I really do not know you that well, but I do know that Blair cares a lot for you. If you cannot chose to live to protect your friends then do it for her. We may be rivals in a way, but you better not hurt her because you are too weak!"

"What?" Brett said while he opened his eyes. "I don't get how weak you are now; at the start of the year in the duel with Jaden. You were so much stronger, but know you're afraid of something you don't know that much about. I know I seem like a ditz at times, but if you live in fear of something, then you become weak. Your afraid of losing control of this power, and that you'll hurt someone you care about? How can you hope to control the power that lies within if you act this weak? Like it or not we are involved now in this galactic event; if you're friends are really that important then learn to use this power. I believe in you and so do the others; and Blair believes in you to much for you to abandon her. What ever happened in your past is not your fault, but who ever commanded you too do those terrible things. I believe in you, and I know you will pick the right choice; after all Blair does love you."

Britney left Brett, and Alexis traded places; sitting right beside Brett. "You doing ok?" Alexis questioned and Brett sat up looking towards Alexis. "Why? Why does everyone believe in me; that I will make the right choice when the time comes? I'm not that strong; I never have been that strong."

"Brett, do you even know how strong you are? You have proven many times that you are not just our friend; but our protector. Not many would jump off a cliff to save two people; not to mention while they are injured. Brett, we really look up to you, I know you think you keep putting in us in danger by being here; but that is just not true. Who ever behind the attacks is; no one has the right to tell you whether you disserve to live or die. The important thing is how quickly you jump in to save the people you care about. You are a hero to us because of just how far you would go to protect us. We will never get the chance to protect you the way you protect us, but all we can do is make this place like a home to you. Who cares whether you were born or created; you are here now and we are all glad to have met you. You are not some heartless weapon; because a weapon would never bother to save us as many as he could. I know you and Blair are close, but I just want you to know I have always had a bit of a crush on you; so just remember that we all care about you."

Alexis gave him a light kiss on his forehead before she got up and left. Brett was left think; he had no clue why they were trying so hard to stop him. He looked at his hand while the words of all his friends passed through his mind. He could still feel the memories of his weapon form. Brett struggled with many ideas behind this; what was he to do. His mind split in two; both with different of ideas what he should do. When Blair came over to sit beside Brett; she sat there for a while not saying anything. Then she lay down and put her head on his shoulder.

"Brett, what have you decided?" Brett looked straight a head as he spoke; "Blair, I'm not sure about what I should be doing. I know everyone wants me to stay, but I killed a whole planet of people who disserved too live; how can I live with that?"

"Brett, stop talking about that!" Blair shouted and Brett looked over at her as she continued to shout. "I don't care about what you did in the past! That was not the Brett I know now! You are not some monster, the people you fought were monsters; they are the ones who have done all of this. Brett you are the one I care about; I could not bare to lose you again. It hurt to much when I thought you died in that last fight. I prayed to see you one more time, and when I got my wish, and you came back; I just never want you to leave me again."

"And what do I do when all of this strength comes out? What do I do if I hurt someone I care about? What if I kill someone else who does not disserve to die? What if I cannot control it, and then I lose control. I could never allow that to happen; no matter what the cost."

Blair's eyes watered as she got up off the ground in front of him. She pulled Brett off the ground and hugged him with all her strength. "Brett stop playing the hero for once and listen! I know you are afraid of that power, but I promise I will protect you from it; no matter what I will bring you back to normal. All of you're friends will protect and help you no matter what you face. Stop worrying, because I will protect you from what ever you are afraid of; I will save you and be your strength when ever you need strength."

Brett felt all his tension disappearing when Blair said she would protect him. "But what if…" Brett began as Blair squeezed him even tighter; 'No. there is nothing else, we are here for you and will support you. This is your home and we will not let anything hurt you. I will be there for you when you need me."

"Thank you Blair." Brett said while they hugged together; "Brett so does that mean you will stay here with me."

"I will; but if the power is unleashed…" Blair squeezed him again and he stopped in mid sentence. "I will bring you back, no matter what I have to do. You don't have to worry about it any more, because you just do not have to. Just believe in us, as much as we believe in you. If that power is unleashed I will save you from it and you will continue you life with your friends and me."

Blair and Brett pulled away, and she wiped the tears from her eyes. Blair was smiling now that she had convinced Brett to stay. Samantha walked over to them with the rest of Brett's friends who sat near by. "So I guess she got you to stay, well that is some good news. Brett I know you have had a rough couple of days, but I need you to look at this." Samantha passed him a note before continuing; "We have never came across a language like it, and cannot begin to decode it; can you read it?"

Brett stared at the page in his; he could not make out the language but then the page almost began speaking to him. "If you are reading this then you are the Weapon of light. Only you can understand this series of messages, because I created them to be that way. My name is Arniath, and I am one of the group of people who create you so long ago; and let me be the first to apologize. At first I cared not about what we were doing, but soon I realized the truth behind the project. I decided to go against Jenova and the others and when on to change what the weapons are. I gave you each identities and sent you through time and space in the hope you could be free from your fate. I gave you all characteristics of your elements; and gave you everything a normal being would have, so you could choose your own fate. Jenova crossed a line when creating living weapons just to kill. I know not where you are when you read this; I can only hope you have found a true home and family. I pray Jenova never finds you, but I have given each of you control of your powers. No matter what you choose to do now, just know you have the choice. I will no doubt be killed for these actions, but it is worth it to save more people. Find my remaining notes; for there is more information you may need. Remember not to waste your new gift I have given you; protect your new family, because that is what I want you to have."

Brett jus smiled when the message finished, and the note disintegrated into the air and everyone watched. "Did you understand it Brett?" Samantha asked and Brett shook his head. "It is a note from Arniath; he says that he is the reason that I am not what I was intended. He gave me the choice to be what I want to be. He gave his life to give me and the others freedom;" Brett closed his eyes as he made a promise to protect these people; his true family, his home, and the girl he loved.

"I'm sorry all of you; I made you all worry about me. I guess I'm just a fool for being like that. I never realized that this is my home, and you are all my family." Brett closed his eyes and firmly gripped the blanket. Blair put her hands on his shoulders; "Brett stop regretting it ok. Just go back to the way you were; I'll go get some food for us ok?"

Brett nodded and Blair ran off to get some food and drinks for Brett and her. Jim looked at Brett as he said; "so what are we going to do about our situation? We still have no clue about how to get home and we have all those students out there still under control of someone."

Blair got back with food and water for her and Brett and she sat beside him. Jaden sat there when an idea entered his head and he blurted out; "Hey no problem! Those wings of Brett's have the power to heal right, so he could just use his power to heal everyone in the school, right?"

Blair got mad as she shouted "No Jaden, were not going to put anymore strain on Brett. He has done enough and he going to do nothing but stay out of any danger and recover." Brett looked embarrassed while he commented; "sorry but I can't do it. I do not even have enough energy to summon my wings right now let alone heal another student. The best I could do is duel, and even then I doubt I could finish a duel. I used all my energy earlier on the last battle."

"You see! Brett is not doing anything for a bit, now hurry up and eat" Blair said as she broke of small pieces so he could eat. Alexis sighed; "unfortunately Brett is still in pretty bad shape, and we are only going to last so long in this place."

Samantha shook her head, "yeah we are in bad situation, but do not worry about Brett. His body will heal itself at a much more incredible rate then any normal person. So all we have to do is get him to get sleep and eat and he will be fine in a couple of days."

Brett shook his head as he swallowed what he was chewing, "I wish we had that kind of time, but we do not. I'll be fine by tomorrow, and then we are going to have to move out. If we do end this soon then we are going to run out of food and water." Blair looked at Brett with a concerned look as Brett told her he would be fine.

Jaden got up stretching as he said "so were going to be stuck in this gym for another day? Man this is so boring, we cannot even duel to take are minds off of this situation. I'm going to go nuts."

The rest of the day the group talked, planned, and just visited between them. Soon night came and the lights went off; and everyone prepared to sleep. Blair was getting ready to set her new bed beside Brett when she heard him say; "you know we are short of supplies. So I thought; maybe you should share with me so someone else can have a bed too."

Blair's eyes lit up as she gave her stuff to a near by student; Brett slowly slid over letting Blair have more then enough room. Brett put his hand under her neck and she got close to him. Blair looked at his face as she smiled "now don't get any ideas, ok!" Brett blushed a bright red and Blair laughed.

Soon everyone was sleeping peacefully, Blair and Brett close together; both happy that they were together. Yubel awoke in the library feeling very weak from his involvement in the last battle. "2 you failed me; I will have to think of a new way to get what I want. I never should have trusted him at all."

Meanwhile in the desert where Brett had struck down 2; a charred body lay in the dessert. The leader of the organization stood over it; starring down on the remnants. "Thank you Brett; you may hate me but you have still aided me. 2 had a very powerful soul, and now we just need a few more souls and my goal will be complete. So many forces are moving for power; and you Jenova will play the greatest role of all. At this point they shall die eventually, but I wonder. Why is Jenova being so patient in retrieving the weapons; so much is stirring and my group has grown so small. Jenova he waits to meet you again, but this time he will make me a god as well, and smite you to oblivion."

Chapter 13 The Weapon of Light's Rage

"Hail Weiss;" a man shrouded by darkness said to a monitor before him. "Nero; report on the current status of you mission." The man on the monitor sat a perched a throne surrounded by green energy; his spiky silver hair shown in the green light.

Nero stood there; perfectly still while he reported to Weiss. "My brother; I was able to recover the information we need; despite the mental blocks that were in place. Whoever put them there was ensuring that no one; not even the Weapon of Light could access the information. It took many hours to slip by it." Weiss laughed in his deep mighty voice; "Excellent Nero. We now have the information that we need to be free from that demon."

"Yes my brother; I have the information, but no way to re-create it. Their creator made sure that only he could do it; to cure us, we need the weapon of light to cure us from our aliment. This will be difficult to achieve for many reasons." Weiss scowled at the statement of his brother; "how is this so? What exactly is making this so difficult Nero? You are the only one I would trust with this mission; I trust you can finish this mission."

"The mission has become complicated; another group has been trying to kill off the Weapon of Light. I was forced to destroy the darkness shrouding his power and his memories, so that he could awaken and defend himself. This has proven to be a double edged decision; he has the strength to fight off anything that threatens his friends' lives, but I can no longer be in his mind with his light protecting him. And every time his friends and that girl he loves are in trouble; he will evolve beyond what he once was. I unlocked his evolution; and it is proving to be a blessing wrapped in a burden…"

"So Nero; do your power have no more effect? Can we even get into his mind and control him?" Weiss questioned Nero, who turned his head to side while waves of darkness circled his body. "You give me no credit brother. His light is strong but I can still be his shadow; waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike and regain control. If his power was to diminish even slightly then I would easily be able to control him for our purpose."

"Excellent Nero! I commend you on your confidence; with a weapon on our side we will be able to achieve so much. We will crush anything and rule everything without mercy. Is this Weapon truly as mighty as Balance tells us he is?" Nero looked back to the monitor; his eyes fixed with Weiss's; "He truly is brother. His power must surely be stronger then all of the other Weapons; and with his heightened evolution path he may be stronger then all combined."

"What does he know about himself?" Weiss asked causing Nero to laugh with an insane style. "I left him with nothing but doubt and fear of himself; but he will to survive. His mind has so much knowledge that it would kill me if I tired to absorb a small fraction of its contents. His power and mind are locked away behind a suit of Black Armor; who ever did it knew that his light could become a destructive force if he did not learn what was right and wrong. I had to crack the armor to get the info we need; he has the ability to destroy it and become so much more, but it will take much to break it."

"He has Black Armor in his mind? What is this armor?" Nero rotated his head around; he let a small chuckle before continuing to speak. "The armor is simply invincible; it blocks everything inside, and everything out. His power is seeping out the crack in the armor; commanded by the Weapon when the people he cares about are in trouble. He will always try to throw his life away for that girl; that train of thought will unleash its rage form. The form of limitless power; but his true from will not be revealed. His true form will be incased in the same armor that blocks him from everything; the same armor I now know how to create."

"Wonderful Nero! You have truly done a magnificent job; this is much better then expected." Nero nodded in agreement; "yes I thought you would enjoy the idea of invincible armor. Till then I shall stay with The Weapon. I will stay his shadow till he weakens; then I shall take control and we shall be free…"

Brett awoke in the middle of the night; his eyes slowly opened to see the ceiling high above. Brett's mind was killing him; pulsing with furious pain with each beat of his heart. He could now move his right arm; he moved it up to his head trying to stop the pulsing. He could not tell if what he had experienced to this point was truth or fiction; the battle before seamed like a dream that he could never live up to. Everything came flashing back to Brett; different sides of him, and he was questioning who he really was.

Brett turned his head to his left when he saw Blair peacefully a sleep next to him. She looked so happy and peaceful; a smile was across her face with. A arm under Brett's neck and the other over his chest. Blair moved slightly in her sleep; she came even closer to Brett pressing her forehead to his chin. Blair gave a slight and small sound of content when she touched Brett; causing him to smile as well.

She was so happy to be with him; he could feel Blair's body so close to him. This was what he had dreamed about for so long; and for once he thought he might disserve it. Nothing he ever did seemed good enough for her; and yet she was so happy to be with him. Brett fell back a sleep; he was completely a drift in a happy feeling that he felt nothing could destroy. He was going to repay Blair for saving him from himself, the only way he thought could possibly work. He was going to stay by her and keep her this happy forever if he had too.

The next morning came and the students pushed outwards into the school. They took what places they could, and slowly they were retaking back the school with few problems. Everyone was helping and doing their part in recapturing the school, or building barricades to ensure areas were taken back. The only person who was not helping was resting from the battle he had previously fought.

Blair, Jaden, and Jesse all watched over Brett while he slept. He was still sleeping more peaceful then ever they had seen him last little while. Everyone was quiet around him; he had earned this brief period of rest from all that he had been going through. Jaden and Jesse conversed between one another; but Blair just sat their watching Brett with a sad expression.

"This is my fault; everything so far that has happened has been my fault. If it wasn't for me then…" Blair started to say when she was cut off by Jesse. "It's not your fault Blair. You shouldn't say things like that; that's Brett's line anyway. He is always blaming himself for stuff that he did not cause; Brett just does not realize that he does not have to prove himself to us. We will eventually get it through his thick head."

Jaden was about to throw his two cents in when Brett slowly came to. Brett sat upright; he held his chest when he was fully upright from the pain from his wounds. Blair, Jaden and Jesse all rushed to his side; they tried to get him to lie back down, but Brett brushed off the concern. The pain receded when Brett felt a rustle at his feet before he whipped off the covers to see Jaden's and Jesse's duel spirits fighting.

Jaden and Jesse scowled their spirits for misbehaving when a little roar came from behind Brett. Red floated came right to Brett's side giving little roars; he turned his head to see his duel spirit coming towards him. The spirit circled around Brett before heading over to Blair and staying by her; "where have you been Red? I really could have used your help a while ago."

"Brett how are you feeling; do you need anything?" Blair asked Brett getting close to Brett's face; but when she tried to get really close Red got in between them. The little dragon roared at Blair; although a tiny roar it was with all the effort that was in the small dragon. Blair backed off from Brett when she saw how angry the creature was; Brett watched and tapped the dragon's head. The dragon spun around looking at Brett looking very angry; "what Red? Why are you being so mean to Blair; you better leave her alone. Red you are going to have to except that Blair is the most important thing to me…"

Brett cut his speech off when he realized what he said causing both him and Blair to blush; Jaden and Jesse laughed a little. The little baby Dragon got angry and flew off and out of the gym; Brett stood up so fast that he stumbled in pain. Blair and Jesse got up to support Brett from falling back to the ground. "He is mad at me; that dragon does not like to share me with anyone. He is going to be mad for sometime; but he is going to have to learn to share me."

Brett smiled at Blair and Blair smiled back; they both knew how the other felt and they were happy to be together with a little time of peace. They all sat down by the wall; letting Brett rest against it. Jaden and Jesse filled Brett in on what was going on; Brett was starting to feel a little like dead weight. "Wow you guys are really taking command; I got to say I feel bad for not helping with the efforts."

Blair grabbed Brett's hand, gently squeezing it when Jaden began to speak. "You have done more then enough for all of us. You have also been through enough; you just relax with your girl and leave this all to us." Jesse agreed with Jaden; Blair was just happy to be with him still. "Brett you are just going to relax; I promise you are not going to lift a finger. We will find who ever is doing this and stop this madness. You are going to get better and leave every thing to us."

Brett protested but no matter how much he wanted to help, Blair and every one was not going to let him do anything strenuous. Brett eventually gave up on the subject; time passed and the four conversed with one another about things that crossed their minds. Brett soon found him self enjoying the company of all of them. Time passed and soon Brett started to rest a little and Jesse and Jaden left him and Blair to rest together.

"You know, it's good those two are finally having some time together. Hopefully Brett gets left him alone from anything so he can fully recover." Jesse finished whispering to Jaden when Jaden began to speak. "Well Brett and Blair have been through a lot even though they are new to this school. They should not have to deal with anything else; but hey now that Blair has a boyfriend so maybe she will leave me alone. It's time for the rest of us to be the hero."

Brett woke to the sound of Axel yelling for everyone to stop fighting; then Blair's voice came from the silence. "Hey move out of the way; Brett disserves a banquet after everything he has done for all of you." Blair squeezed through the crowd getting to the front of the line; Ms. Dorothy gave two plates to Blair. The young girl turned around only to see her path blocked by large men from higher dorms.

"Hey why should she get two plates; she probably going to eat both for her self!" shouted an Obelisk Blue male student. Jaden and Hasleberry cleared a path for Blair; she ran through before she got back sitting down beside Brett, smiling at him. "Please; that guy is no hero. He even has admitted it was his fault that all of this has been happening. He is the reason all of this is happening; and he did nothing but rest all day, some hero."

Blair yelled to them to shut up before she told Brett not to listen. He knew it was his fault; he had tried to forget everything but this was just another reminder. "Brett please do not listen to them; he is just mad because he can do nothing to really help anyone." Brett was not interested in eating anymore; "you eat my food then. I'm not that hungry anymore, so why do just go…"

Blair put her finger to Brett's mouth; he was silenced with that single motion. Blair began feeding Brett and he soon began to eat; the crowd dispersed after getting their food. Blair kept forcing Brett to eat; he ate in order to stop Blair from worrying about him but he was truly unhappy with the sad truth behind matters. "Brett please do not listen to him; you really disserve to eat more then anyone. I promise I will take care of you till you are better."

"She is right Brett!" Brett heard Jesse's voice; he looked up to see him, Hasleberry, Jaden, Alexis, and Axel coming towards him. Blair forced another bite into Brett's mouth while the others sat down. Alexis smiled as she watched Blair feed Brett; "so how is the hero?" Jaden smiled and said; "He is doing alright; Blair is taking care of him and he is getting better. Just wish that guy would have kept his mouth shut. We really do not need that kind of talk at a time like this."

Brett wanted to do more but his body was still weak from before. "Well Brett you just rest and we will keep you safe all night. Eventually things will be back the way they were;" Hasleberry said to him. Blair gave him the last bite of his food before he fell asleep.

Everyone laughed a small bit; Hasleberry continued his statement. "Geez he is out like a light after that; he must still be one roughed up soldier. Good thing he has us looking after him." Blair put his plate down before she finally started to eat her own meal. "Guys could we keep talking; I'm not in the mood to sleep just yet. Tomorrow I promise I will help out with every one out."

Everyone chatted and talked to one another about things that took their minds off the danger they were experiencing. Slowly Blair and Brett fell asleep together; they both sat up against the wall with Blair resting on Brett's shoulder. Everyone left but Alexis; she got up and put a blanket over the two and put pillows behind their heads. Alexis wanted them to sleep peacefully even though she still had some lingering feelings for Brett.

"It's nice you do care about them." Alexis turned to see Samantha coming into the gym towards her. "I have been busy all day and I had hoped to get back here sooner so I could see how he is healing. You like him don't you; its ok I'm not going to tell anyone. I know because I like him too; that is why I came to help him." Alexis looked at this new girl not really enjoying her presence; "so you came here just to get close to him? You better not try and break them up just for your own reason."

"So you really like him too? You must have a bit of a crush on him, don't you? That is sweet that you care for him enough to let them be together; but you must have another guy you like other wise you would go for him too. That must make you their guardian angel looking after them." Alexis was starting get angry about the threat implied in Samantha's statement. "Just leave them alone; you act sweet but you are never going to be with him."

"And neither will you; you know you keep your feelings for him and you may lose that other guy you like. Just a warning; if Brett breaks up with him then I'm going after him. Just a friendly warning for their protector." Samantha gave a slight smile to Alexis before going off into the distance to sleep. Alexis set up her bed by Brett and Blair; she kept an ear on her surroundings all night, just in case and soon most everyone was asleep.

"Their breaking through the door!" shouted a male student. Brett slowly came out of his sleepy state; he was still weak from his fight but he had more strength then before. Brett felt a palm on his head before he heard a familiar voice. "Brett stay calm the Duel Ghouls are breaking down the door, but I will protect you. I made a promise to Blair that you would be safe."

A red flag went up in Brett's mind; he fully woke up before he scanned around him. Mrs. Fontaine was at his side with her palm on his head; crouched beside her was Britney and Samantha. But Blair was no where to be seen and neither where any of his other friends. "Mrs. Fontaine where is Blair?"

"She went to go help Jaden and the others stop Marcel; he is behind the whole thing!" Shouted Britney; Brett slowly got up, despite his weakened state. The girls tried to stop Brett, but he was far too stubborn. Mrs. Fontaine got up and got in front of Brett; "Brett please stay back; I promised Blair I would keep you safe and that you would not do anything dangerous. I cannot betray her…"

Before she could finish her statement Brett pulled her behind him. "No; I have to help and protect everyone. I have the strength to stand and I can protect you all. I will end this madness no matter the cost." All of the girls could find no word to express their amazement at Brett's commitment and dedication.

Brett watched a few brave duelists that were trying to keep the others safe. Brett asked for his duel disk and Samantha gave it to him. Brett equipped it and set it; he knew he was not going to be able to put up a prolonged fight. He had to do this quick and go protect all of his other friends.

Ghouls surrounded Brett and the girls; they covered behind him while Brett waited for the right time to strike. Suddenly gunfire came from above; multiple shots hit the zombie duelist legs. They fell to the ground; "such a weak dark power controlling them. I doubt they can recover so quickly from that."

Down floated the man Brett had scene in his mind. Black waves of energy circled his body; darkness emanated from the man, pushing the ghouls back away from Brett and the girls. "You; you are the man that I saw those times. Why are you helping us? Why are you out here now?"

The man gently landed on the ground; he rotated his head before looking at Brett. "You should be grateful I saved you; I rarely ever help someone other then a select few. I was forced out by your light; my darkness does not enjoy your light." Brett starred at the man; he was still shielding the girls since he did not trust this man. "I want to know why you are helping me; you have helped me several times. You have been with me for so long but you have been helping me so selflessly."

Slowly the man took a single step forward; "My name is Nero. It is true I have been with you for some time; I slipped aboard you when you battled Jaden, but your power of light forced me out. It is true I have helped you to this point, and now I will continue to help you. I gave you the power you needed and have unlocked your evolution. This time I need your help; and I will continue to aid you if you aid me."

"What do you want from me?" Brett asked; prompting Mrs. Fontaine to whisper a warning to Brett. Nero stood there; perfectly still with no emotion showing on his face because of his mask. "I shall take you to all of your friends; and later you will give me something of great value. Do not worry though; I will not harm any of your friends or you. You simply agree to this and I will take you to her."

There was no need for any though on Brett's part; he simply nodded to the man. Nero metal wings collapsed into themselves; he gave a motion with his head and darkness pored from underneath Nero. The darkness surrounded and swallowed the girls, Brett, and Nero in mere seconds.

"We have to get to that rocket and get that Rainbow Dragon card or we will never get home." Jesse stated just when Nero's darkness swirled behind them, sending chills down Jaden and the others spines. They all turned to see Brett, Britney, Samantha, and Mrs. Fontaine appear from the darkness.

Blair saw Brett and at the first instant of the sight of him, she ran towards him. She jumped at him hugging him; "Brett you are ok! I'm sorry I left you; but I had to try and help Marcel, please forgive me." Brett shook his head at Blair's remarks; "it's ok Blair. I know you were just trying to help him; but this has to end. I'm glad your ok; I was pretty worried about you, I was ready to duel those Ghouls to get to you."

Nero came from the darkness causing Jaden to warn Brett, and Brett turned and began to explain about what had happened. "He saved you all; then he has my thanks" Blair said, causing Nero to respond. "You are the one he has always been protecting; you are the key to his strength. No my dear I must thank you; you are the reason he has survived, I owe you my thanks. I am here to help Brett achieve his true power; that scientist had locked it all away."

With no warning Duel Ghouls appeared from every side of the group. Brett set his duel disk; "everyone go on ahead. I'm the weakest so I will stay behind and keep these zombies at bay. I will be right behind you;" but no sooner then Brett stated his noble intentions did everyone protest.

"No offense soldier but you are in no condition to duel; you go with everyone else and leave this to me." Hasleberry said before summoning a dinosaur to his aid. Alexis was next to jump in and aid Hasleberry, followed by Jim. Everyone else took off down the pipe; Jaden and Blair helped Brett with moving.

Brett protested to leaving some of his friends behind; but Blair was not going to leave him again and neither was Jaden. They came out of the pipes into the desert outside of Duel Academy. Jaden could see the monument and knew that is where he would find Marcel. "Alright Jesse you go find that rocket and the rest of us will stall Marcel and give you time."

Jesse nodded to Jaden; Axel told Jesse that he was coming to help him. Nero looked at them from behind; "you are all truly something, but I'm afraid I will be no use to you in this fight. My methods are not desirable to you, so I will come only upon desperation or if you or your girlfriend needs me." Nero vanished into a wave of darkness before the team split up.

Axel and Jesse left to find the rocket; while the others went to the monument. Duel Ghouls came across there path every so often but their friends stayed behind so the rest could move on. Only Brett, Jaden, and Blair reached the large monument while the others stayed back to do what they could.

All three of them reached the top to see Marcel standing their with his demon arm. "Stop" Brett commanded to his friends. "What's wrong Brett?" Jaden questioned in a concerned voice. Brett stood up on his own; with no aid from his friends. "Jaden go duel that thing inside Marcel. I need to help everyone else; this is your fight, I have to do what I can."

Before anyone could say anything, Brett drew the top five cards from his deck. "Time to do my part, and I use my Polymerization magic card to fuse Queen, King, and Jacks Knight. Now they form my Alkana Knight Joker; and get out there my knight!" Brett shouted to his duel monster and it left out into the field.

Each attack it made sucked energy from Brett; after only a few attacks Brett removed the card from his duel disk. Brett fell to his knees; nearly all of his recovered energy was gone. Blair and Jaden dropped down behind Brett; Brett looked out onto the battlefield feeling like he failed. "Brett you are still too weak. You really need to stop putting yourself at risk; we can protect you to." Jaden stated with Blair nodding in agreement; "Brett please do not strain your self. I do not want to see you in a state like this ever again."

The voice of Marcel shattered the moment between the two; he had snuck up behind the group while they were distracted with Brett's collapse. "The mighty Weapon of Light. I'm still trying to figure out why you are deemed as such a threat. That man who came to me for aid was so terrified, but it seems like you could not even protect that girl from me."

Marcel reached and grabbed Blair with his right arm; he lifted his arm and but one of his sharp claws to her throat. Brett turned around and cried out Blair's name; "Let her go whoever you are. Please I will do anything, just let her go." Marcel laughed manically; "don't you ever tire of being the hero? All I ask is that the mighty Weapon stand by him self."

Brett forced him self up; Jaden offered his help but Brett needed to do this one thing. His mind commanded him upwards; but his body was heavy and useless. His body slowly moved upwards in a desperate attempt to save Blair. Gravity seemed almost ten times stronger then he could ever remember; but soon he found him self on two legs. He had done the task, but his body was completely unresponsive beyond that point.

Marcel laughed and threw Blair over into Jaden's arms; Brett breathed a quick sigh of relief as he closed his eyes, till he felt his chest explode. He heard Blair scream and Jaden gasp; everyone in the area froze. They all looked upwards to see Marcel's demonic arm through Brett's chest. Blood dripped off Marcel's arm and Blair was in tears; while Jaden was completely speechless. "Now I think I will kill Blair so you can die together" Marcel said to Brett.

Song Chaotic End

Marcel swung his left arm; throwing Brett's lifeless body off the monument to the sand below. Blair screamed and Jaden was still completely in denial; Blair ran to the edge to go be by Brett when Nero appeared and stopped her. Marcel backed away from this new man who looked like he was incredibly bad news. Nero looked down onto Brett with the hole in his chest; "stop Blair. Marcel I believe they call you; you have just unleashed the creature I have been waiting for. Now you can repay me Brett; follow my plan like the slave that you will inevitably become."

Blair looked at Nero for a second before her attention returned to Brett. Brett's body glowed with a pure white light; a chain shot down from the heavens above and wrapped around Brett's neck. Brett was bulled up into the air before another ten chains warped around his body. Pieces of black armor came together; all bonded by the chains forming a knight that was easily ten times the size of Brett. The hole where the eyes were flashed red briefly, before the knight summoned a long sword to his hands. Last; a red cape formed around its neck that went down to the sand below.

Nero was quick to notice that the hole in the knights back was still there. "You see what you have unleashed upon you. It will not stop till every threat has been exterminated." Blair looked onto Brett; "this is his true form?" Nero shook his head in response; "no this is a binding to stop his true power. The real thing is bound by those sealing chains; the real rage form still lies in wait and he will have control if you stay by him. You are the key to all his strength."

The knight moved quickly and swiftly; it scanned the area looking at every person in the area. Threats were chosen amonst Brett's friends and were targeted. The knight gave a mighty swing of its sword; sending a torrent of wind that kicked up sand with the wind. The sword span in the knights hands before being plunged into the ground. The massive arms traveled upwards before sending massive beams of light out of his arms.

Two beams hit the desert floor kicking up wind and sand with violent force. Only Brett's friends were spared from the blast; while the Duel Ghouls were sent flying in every direction before they crashed to ground below. The knight gave no pause between beams; every hit was followed with the Ghouls rising, and every time the knight would continually pound them with more. It was as Brett feared; he had lost complete control.

Nero stood by; he let his arms free from their restraints and put one to Blair's shoulder. "He has lost control Blair; you must stop this form or he will eliminate everything that is a threat. He will use that sword if he must to extinguish their lives; even Marcel over there, and the only way is to get is to the hole in his back."

Hand connected with blade's handle and was ripped from its earthy placement. The movement of the cape revealed to Blair's eyes the hole; it was at eye level and she could see the chains. She gave no pause; she ran back a meter before running forward and jumping off the monument. Jaden shouted for Blair to stop when Nero blocked his path; "I need this to happen. Brett owes me and I intend to collect; she is the only one who can free him. I will later and finally be able to claim the Weapon for my self; my plan has almost come to pass."

Blair was able to grab onto the open whole with both hands; she tried to pull herself up when the knight shook violently. Blair screamed when she nearly lost her grip, but managed to hang on. Alexis, Jim, and Hasleberry had summoned their strongest creatures and were trying to fend the knight off.

The knight slowly began to move forward; each footstep and each attack made it difficult but Blair persisted. She remembered Nero's words about how only she could stop Brett; she also remembered her promise to Brett. She was determined and set on being the hero; slowly she pulled herself up and was able to slip through the hole in his back. Jaden was puzzled about Nero's words and began to question; "what do you mean your plan? What are you really after?"

Nero pushed Jaden back; "you will not interfere with my plan. I have worked far too hard to achieve this. She will awaken him and destroy the armor; their by allowing me to collect a piece of his armor. I will later capture his soul and claim him as my own; I never once had any plans of truly helping him, but I could never let him die. Hail Weiss; my brother soon we shall be invincible." Nero finished by raising his guns and pointing one at Marcel and another at Jaden.

Song end

Song Terminus

Blair crawled through the hole in the armor; she dropped down on the other side into a room that was far different from her expectations. She gazed at the wide open space that surrounded her; the horizon stretched beyond forever. She turned around to see the hole she had crawled through, in the middle of the air. Nothing existed beyond the borders of the hole; it simply floated there not attached to anything. She poked her head underneath; but the hole had no depth.

She turned back around; there were absolutely no visible boundaries to his seemingly infinite space. Blair tilted her head upwards and beheld the deep Blue sky; it only had a few clouds and they slowly moved in a hypnotizing fashion. The effect was so calming that Blair forgot completely about her reason to be here for a moment, before snapping back to reality.

The chain she was able to see earlier hung above her; she looked behind her, and the chain traveled into the sky. It appeared that the chain never stopped; it only continued onwards into the endless heavens. The other direction it traveled downwards into the floor. Blair eyes continued downwards till she was looking at her feet; the floor rippled around her feet like she stood in a pool of water.

The floor was un-darkened; it shown like liquid diamond; perfectly clear and illuminated to Blair's eyes. It was not water, but it was not solid either and Blair had no idea of what to make of it. She took an unnerving first step forward; her foot touched down and the surface rippled outwards from the imprint of her foot. It felt like she was walking on water and every step felt as dangerous as the last. Blair soon came to the conclusion that what ever this floor was made out of; it was safe for her to travel on.

Silver chains traveled onwards beneath the surface; they shown with the illuminated depths beneath the floor. Multiple chains traveled under the surface to a single destination. Blair began to follow the chains like a path that would lead her to Brett. Soon more chains became visible and appeared to be converging on a single point a head of her.

Blair continually walked forwards in search of Brett amidst this strange dimension. Her head gazed upwards to the sky again; the calming skies all around her seamed to south her troubled soul. The clouds almost seamed to be putting her in a trance; she began to wonder how all of this could fit inside a Knight so small. She wondered if she could stay here forever with Brett away from all of the trouble and hatred. Blair's mind snapped back to reality when she remembered the others; she had to find Brett immediately.

She arrived at the point where all of the chains gathered; bellow the surface she could see Brett. He was still ensnared by all of the chains; his head was still visible but he was completely unconscious. Hundreds of chains held him in place; Blair looked around for some king of switch to release him. Nothing was in the area and she needed to free him quickly.

Blair wandered into the direct center when something under her shirt began to shine. She removed the necklace with Brett's ring still attached; the gems all glowed and the ring began to float upwards. The necklace attached to the ring broke at a segment; the ring traveled high into the air.

When the ring stopped floating upwards; it shot nine beams of light out from each gem. Eight pierced the water while the last shot into the sky; slowly the chains began to lift Brett from his tomb. Blair backed up till she found a place where the chains would not disturb her. Brett was raised to her level before she ran forward.

Chains stopped when Brett was fully free from the liquid surface. His face was covered in small black symbols that had no meaning to Blair. She ran up to him and called his name, but there was no answer. Brett slept there and did not answer at all; Blair immediately checked his pulse on his neck to see if he was alive. Strangely he still had a pulse; Blair breathed a sigh of relief when a mysterious voice came from above.

The Language was unlike that which Blair had ever heard before. It finished its sentence giving a brief pause before restarting again. "Let me have Brett back!" Blair shouted to the empty heavens. Eight symbols appeared in the sky; the voice returned but this time in a different language. "You called him by his first name. You must care for him the way I did; you may be the one who he is destined to be with. You must prove yourself though; I could only protect him this way. I could only contain him; that was the only power I ever had over him. You must show me your power over him; wake him and set him free, and I will entrust his safety to you."

Outside the strange dimension; Alexis, Jim, and Hasleberry were struggling to keep the knight at bay. "I'm going to help" Jaden stated but Nero only shook his head while his gun aimed at Jaden's forehead. "No; you two shall no interfere with this. Time must continue and you two must duel; so go ahead and start."

"Jaden you have to duel Marcel and get us back to our dimension; you cannot waste energy on this. We soldiers can handle this knight by ourselves." Hasleberry said before sending his Ultimate Tyranno in for an attack. Marcel walked to the other side; "come on Jaden; I have been waiting to play with you for some time."

Jaden cringed at the thought; but he had to buy time and keep Marcel occupied. The knight renewed his attack upon the three duelists; he pushed the giant dinosaur backwards and high into the air. The knight had just stood there taking the beating till now. The knight gave a mighty battle cry and swung its sword crushing Alexis's Cyber Angel Dakini.

The force of the attack nearly knocked Alexis unconscious; Mrs. Fontaine healed her with a spell card before Britney took over. "Normally I would not feel right about harming Brett; but you are not him." Britney summoned her Black Luster Soldier and then commanded him to attack. The knight leapt forward while Britney searched through her deck. "This is not a duel; and I have a real treat for you."

She took six cards and held them up high to the sky; the Five God Dragon formed from the cards giving a fierce battle cry. Britney pummeled the knight with attacks while the other duelists recovered from their failed attempts. The Knight could not swing his sword fast enough to get the soldier and could not reach the dragon above.

Jesse and Axel returned safely with the Rainbow Dragon card safely in their possession. Jesse could not believe what had happened while he was gone. He glanced away from the knight to see Jaden dueling his hardest to buy time. He wanted to go aid him but Axel held him back; "sorry but you will never make it past. You are to important now that you have that card; let me distract him then you go to Jaden."

Axel left without another word being said; Jesse did not even have time to protest the plan. Axel ran forward and used his duel disk to summon his Blaze Accelerator; the machine began by firing a Volcanic Shell into the knight. The knight did not even budge; it only lifted it's sword before lightning tore Britney's monsters apart.

Song Last SND

Britney fell to the ground; all of them soon realized that there was no chance that they could defeat it. Every attack hit with as much force as possible; yet no damage was visible on the black armor. "We cannot give up; if we do then we die!" Alexis yelled at the top of her lungs before drawing another card.

Blair stood there unaware of what to do; she could not think of what power she had over Brett. Then she heard Alexis's yell from outside; Blair had to think fast to save everyone, but then it hit her. The only power she had over Brett was the fact that he loved her; she knew what she had to do. She put one hand behind Brett's head and the second on his cheek; she took one last deep breath. "This woke him up once; Brett please wake up. I need you back with me; I never want to lose you again."

Blair began to move forward and get ready to awake him from his sleep; when black chains began to wrap around her left arm. The chains came from below and quickly began to wrap around Blair's body. Pulling her away from Brett; she struggled against them with all her might trying to get to Brett and wake him.

The ropes began to pull harder and harder against, negating Blair's strength. She whipped around and struggled while more chains wrapped around her incasing her. With all of her remaining strength she leapt forward and broke free of the chains. She wrapped her arms around Brett's neck before their lips met; Blair's eyes closed as she fell into a deep kiss.

Brett' eyes opened to see Blair in front and their lips together; all the chains fell off Brett like they were to lose. The symbols disappeared and Brett closed his eyes and pulled Blair into the kiss. They had never felt happier in their lives; then dark chains wrapped around them sealing them together in darkness. The voice returned from nowhere; "I shall not let the weapon be free. The weapon will stay sealed away from his creator for all time."

Brett and Blair were together snared by the dark chains; they pulled away but still hugged one another. "Blair; you came for me." Blair's eyes watered when she heard his words; "of course I came for you. I promised I would protect you; know you have to go destroy this armor and save our friends." "No Blair we are going to destroy this thing."

Song Longing

Light shown through the black chains; the light then shot out of the hole in the knights back. A powerful aura emanated that everyone could feel; the symbols disappeared along with the light that emanated from the room. The knight stopped dead in its tracks; not showing any signs of life. The entire area collapsed in around the chains before the chains around Blair and Brett exploded.

A beam of light shot out from the explosion; the beam traveled upwards and swallowed the ring inside of it. It traveled out wards at high speeds; eight wings grew out from the beam of light. Chains tried to ensnare it but were melted by the intensity of the light. The beam stopped and the light faded revealing Blair in Brett's arms.

She had the ring in her hand and her head was over Brett's shoulder. Brett landed on the ground momentarily and asked Blair to get on his back. She ran around and put the ring deep in her pocket; she jumped on to Brett's back in between his wings. She firmly grabbed onto Brett and checked that he was ok. Brett nodded before taking off into the sky and summoning blades of light around his hands.

Chains shot out from other directions trying to recapture Brett; each approached and was slashed away by Brett. Blair watched her guy fiercely slashing chains; she held on tightly while Brett slashed the chains away. The floor turned pitch black and shadow figures of warriors formed from the ground. The new figures wasted no time, before the new knights jumped into the air with weapons formed from the dark abyss.

Brett's wings continued to shine their gentle yet harmful light to the shadows. Blair was able to hang on with no problem; each time Brett moved was fast but seemed to be slowed down for her. Brett had no problem though with keeping up with the number of enemies. He sped up and collapsed two of his wings around Blair so she would be fine.

He began to attack at the speed of light; his swords crushing the shadows before they could come close. Blair tried to stay back but she was amazed at his skill; no one was guiding him this time. Nero was lying; he had never been giving Brett aid on how to fight, it had always been him. Beams of light shot out from his wings, and traveled into the hordes of shadows below him. None of the shadows survived the assault and Brett continued to move faster and faster through the attackers.

His wings gave a mighty thrust downwards and sent Brett and Blair into the infinite heavens. Shadows evolved more and more into massive beasts and dragons; creatures flew and chased Brett along the ground. Their power and speed somehow seamed to match his. A dragon flew down onto Brett; but he simply thrust his wings to evade the dragon's teeth. He passed the mouth and shoved his blade into the dragon before it exploded from the light.

More shadow dragons came from every direction; Brett collapsed all of his wings before he dropped from the sky leaving the shadow beasts to collide into one another. Brett approached the ground and beat his wings before he landed safely. Snarling shadow beasts growled and snarled bearing their fangs to Brett and Blair, but Brett was doing the same.

Two blades of light were slammed together to form a single long sword; Brett jumped forward slashing through the beast in front of him. His wings still were collapsed and held Blair tight against his body. Beast came from every directions and Brett turned to meet each one wit his blade. The sword continued to cut through beast after beast.

Shadows consumed the sky; wails of doomed souls came from every direction. Blair was not afraid now that she was with Brett, and he was never afraid. His wings lit the area around them; he could sense each shadow beast and strike them down. He was determined but still in control and he was not going to let Blair get hurt.

Brett flapped his wings and took off into the air; he let his blade disappear to boost the light from his wings. He dodged airborne enemies by going closer to the ground; then was forced to dodge the beasts that jumped at him. Brett boosted his wings to illuminate further and further away. "Brett we need to find the crack in the armor; it is way to dangerous to stay here."

Brett nodded in agreement; "I know Blair but it is hard to find it. We are going to get out of here, so hold on tight." Blair nodded and Brett took off in search of their exit. Brett continued to dodge between enemies but more continually came and there was no exit anywhere.

The number of enemies multiplied every second; Brett was forced to re-summon his blade and renew his attack. His vision ability dropped and he slashed through a dragon; he turned when he heard a fierce roar from behind. He turned to have a dragon land a front pair of claws into his upper chest. Brett screamed in pain before he whipped his long blade and separated the beast from him.

Brett took off in the opposite direction and avoided the next set of shadow creatures. "Blair are you ok back there?" Blair was fine and the claws did not make it through to her. "I'm fine but you are hurt badly; we cannot stay here. We have to find the exit quickly." But Brett knew the truth; the exit was gone; what ever created this was not going to let anyone escape.

Suddenly Brett stopped and looked around; "Blair there is only one way out; but I will have to enter rage form. You will be fine no matter what…" Blair did not even give Brett a chance to finish. "I know Brett; and you will not lose control because I'm here to protect you. You do not have to worry; let's end this thing and go save Marcel."

Song Summoning Alexander

The knight had long since stopped its rampage; everyone looked on waiting for the behemoth to do something. It's back began to glow bright blue when the back shattered in a hundred pieces. Two long wings spread out and stretched out; Each wing was twice the size of the knight. A dragon's tail also was sticking out of the suit of armor that whipped from side to side.

With a single flap of the wings, a ball of light traveled high into the sky. It came to a stop high above and it just hovered there for a few seconds. The creature emitted a bright light that was far too intense for any to make out what it was. Every one shielded their eyes from the creatures light. The wings glowed a bright blue, and the feathers in the wings rippled violently.

The wings stretched as far as possible before shooting out millions of tiny beams. Each beam locked in on the half destroyed suit of armor and hit it. The armor dissolved into the beams of light and disappeared from existence. The beams continued onwards; they separated into two groups. One group passed through Duel Ghouls on the outside of the school; while the other group of beams went inside and passed through every other corrupted duelist.

Steam came from the mysterious ball of light before the light faded. Brett and Blair fell from the heavens above together. Brett looked below him to where they were going to land. Then he realized Blair was going to be the one to hit the ground; he tried to flip but had lost to much energy to have the strength. Brett quickly though of his only option to stop Blair from getting hurt; he tucked his wings in on one side and he slowly span around.

Everyone watched Brett crash into the sand behind Jaden. Brett took the major impact; Alexis was the first to run to his side. His wings slowly disappeared into the wind revealing Blair in perfect condition on his back. Alexis dropped onto her knees just as Blair woke up. Alexis helped her up to her knees. They both turned to their attention to Brett who gave no signs of being alive.

Everyone else except Jaden and Jesse made it to Brett's side. Alexis flipped Brett up onto her lap. She flipped him up to see her arm covered in blood; everyone gasped at the sight of the three holes in his chest. Mrs. Fontaine dropped down and checked his pulse; "he is still alive."

Jaden and Jesse breathed a sigh of relief when he saw everyone else looked relieved at the news. Nero walked slowly over to a fragment of black armor that had survived. He slowly reached down and picked it up; "finally my reward is given to me. Brett I will return for you later; till then enjoy these last moments with your friends."

Nero disappeared into a black wave of darkness just when Brett woke. His eyes opened to the sight of everyone; they looked a little rough but still alive. "Is everyone ok? You all should stop worrying about me; we need to get back to our world, right?"

Jesse was glad to see he was alive but he had to go get them back to their own world. A single grey feather floated down onto Brett's chest; his body glowed a gentle blue before the wound healed. The blue light faded and Brett was perfectly healed again; Blair was in tears and so were the other girls; "sorry about worrying all you guys. But this should finally be over."

Brett stood up like almost nothing had happened; Blair got up protesting against it, but Brett was fine. "Did you enjoy that healing feather of mine? I cannot let you die; your creator would just kill me."

Brett and everyone turned to see a scantily clad girl with long grey hair flowing down her back. Brett was thrown into a state of shock when he saw her; "you… you are my creator; Jenova!" Brett shivered at the mere thought; the woman offered a slight sensual chuckle to Brett and Blair grabbed onto him. "I'm not your creator; just a remnant of hers. You have grown so much in such a short time; it is almost impossible to believe."

Blair got in front of Brett; "What do you want with him?" The woman's face changed rapidly to a serious expression; "I'm here to bring him to her. She needs him to perform a task; and in return I shall stay here and make sure that things transpire as they should. You have drawn many enemies that should never have been here; join me and I shall guarantee none of those enemies shall interfere with your friends."

Brett though about the proposal for a minute's time; it was a difficult choice. He had been the one who had brought these enemies to his friends. "I will come with you; but you must leave with me as well. I do not want you ever to set foot on this planet again, and that includes any of the Jenova clones or the real thing."

Blair turned around and grabbed Brett's arms; "you are not going to leave us again. I do not want to lose you." Brett looked to the monument and saw the Rainbow Dragon for the first time; "you have all been great friends. Blair you are the best thing in my life; but I cannot stay here; I have to do this so this world will be at piece. Just promise me you keep that ring and I will my way back to you."

Brett quickly jumped over Blair without even allowing his words to sink in. He landed on the other side and ran over to the clones side. "You have made a wise deal and now let us leave." The clone melted into a puddle that Brett began to sink into; Blair turned to see Brett vanish into the puddle before she screamed out his name at the top of her lungs.

Everyone still conscious turned there attention to Blair, and quickly realized that he was gone…

TO BE CONTINUED IN CHRONICLES OF INFINITY…

**Chaos Rising:**

**The Aria Of The Weapons Awakening**

**Book Nine **

**Chronicles of INFINITY**

Chapter 1 The Gathering and a Journey

The Weapon of Light was the last to arrive; to the dry and desolate world. The eight of them each marveled at the other weapons; each had the same hair and eye color. They all had different lengths of brown hair, and slightly different color in their eyes. None of the weapons were pleased seeing near identical people to them selves. Their identities felt stolen; despite the fact that they knew they were all different in many ways.

One woman appeared in the center of the eight weapons; "Welcome to all eight of the weapons here today. Soon you all shall embark on a journey to meet your creator. You are not aloud to use your powers to fly. Your master wants you all too truly experience what the gods have done to this world. After that you will all meet you creator; enjoy this reunion."

Siarnaq steeped forward; beginning to question the woman. "What is so important that we have to walk through this land? What do you want to prove to us?" The woman turned looking at Siarnaq square on. "She wants you to see the cruelty of the gods. This land was once presided over by three goddesses; but they abandoned the world to it's fate. Each time Evil rose from the ashes, and a single hero was forced to save everyone. The gods do not interfere with mortals; or so they say. This land is proof of the gods' ignorance to their own rules."

"Why does it matter? What does she want to achieve?" Siarnaq continued questioning the woman; the other weapons stood there and listened carefully trying to gather information. She turned slowly around looking at all of them. "You will soon understand why we are doing this. Your creator, my master; Jenova waits at the end of your journey. You shall learn everything there and then you will learn your importance. But remember you have all agreed to do as my master commands. Should you go back on your promise; then your friends and loved ones shall experience a fait far worse then death. We shall kill them slowly, creating as much pain as possible till they can take no more…"

"Stop it! We get the message and we will not break our promise;" yelled Theus. "Oh do you get it. I want to make sure you all have it memorized. We will kill them slowly then bring them back and repeat the process till their mind is lost into the dark abyss that all fear. We know how to make people suffer and we will do what we must. The gods' tyranny must be put to an end. You all shall grantee this. Now leave on your journey."

The woman finished speaking; pointing to a large formation of cliffs, before vanishing into the winds. The eight weapons looked at the path before them. Siarnaq and Fayt began to lead the weapons into the dessert before them. The journey was going to be long; and while none knew the outcome that awaited them; they all marched forwards for their loved ones.

Chapter 2 The World the Gods Forgot

The weapons traveled across the desert; they hardly spoke to the others. None of the weapons felt very close to the others; they felt worlds apart and not connected in the slightest. They were the closest thing they had to a real family, but some were worried about what they were helping. Some feared for their love ones; they prayed that this group would indeed keep their promises.

Fayt led the group; traveling at a heightened pace with little concern for those falling behind. Siarnaq followed closely behind; he was suspicious of Fayt. "Why are you rushing Fayt? I believe you call yourself that." Fayt turned his head slightly; "What is the matter? Do you not trust me? Who else is going to lead this group you? This group needs a leader and I will fill that position; this group needs a strong leader and I'm the one to do it."

Siarnaq looked at him carefully; "I care not what you asked for, but do not betray us. The others have something special; make them lose that, and I will kill you personally. You do not wish to have me as your enemy; you may think you are that tuff but I can sense your strength. You are nothing compared to me." Fayt laughed turning his attention back to the path in front of him. "I would not betray anyone; you see my reward is worth staying the path. Jenova does not want any of us to die; and betraying her does not bode well for my reward."

Theus and Aeolus looked at the weapon of light; who was falling behind the group. Theus tilted his head backwards; Aeolus got the message pulling on the weapon lightning in his pilot suit. The three slowed their pace, till they were sided by side. The weapon of light did not even note that three others were walking beside him; his mind saddened by his departure from his friends.

Theus looked at him; putting his hand to the Weapon of Light's shoulder. "So why are you so glum? You look pretty ruffed up to; what happened. Oh and sorry we did not catch your name. I'm Theus the Weapon of Water, that is Brett the Weapon of Lightning, and last that is Aeolus, he is the Weapon of the Wind."

"Huh? Oh sorry my name is Brett as well." The Weapon of Lightning looked at the others before turning back to the other Brett. "Funny that we got the same name huh? It was just the first thing I could remember about myself, but considering our origins it probably is not that difficult to believe. The name just popped into my head. Listen, you like you are having a hard time; so we will just call you Brett. I will just be called Lightning ok? So if you do mind how about you tell us what is bothering you."

Brett looked at him; curiously wondering why he cared. "Well, I was in a fierce battle before I came here. I had no knowledge of why I had my power, just that I could protect the people I cared about with my power. A person revealed a past that was better left forgotten. I began to hate myself to the point that I wanted to die. My friends stayed by my side; they brought be back; but it was mainly this girl. She was the real one who never stopped supporting me, and now that we are separated I just keep worrying about her."

Lightning was about to open his mouth; when Brett continued on with his story. "I left them to go forth and stop the evil I could not; my body could not move. I kept pushing my body harder and harder till my enemy seized my weakness and struck me down. Then I lost control and unleashed a near invincible power onto my friends. I was lost in a sea of madness till Blair brought me back from the abyss a second time. Then she showed up and brought me here, leaving her behind. I had to leave all of them behind to keep them safe but I fear something that is after me will come after them!"

Brett shouted; hanging his head in shame when Aeolus spoke up. "The same thing happened to me. My girl got pierced through the heart and I reached deep inside my looking for what I needed. I found it and saved her; but I lost control till she brought me back. The difference is I do not regret what I did; I will make amends to the people I hurt but I will not let the people I love get hurt."

Theus spoke up next; "I ignored what happened with others for so long. Then my mistake came back to haunt me; there I saved these Generals and fell in love with the female one. I fought and protected her and then fixed my error; now I just want to finish this and return to them."

Lightning was waiting for his turn patiently; he immediately began to speak when he was certain Theus was done. "That clone saved me from death; the problem is none of my friends know I'm alive; so I have to return soon to them. Brett I think you need to stop your way of thinking immediately; that kind of thinking will not help you out."

The others nodded in agreement; Brett looked puzzled at why the others all thought he had to change who he was. Lightning spoke up again, this time his tone of his voice was much more serious. "Look it is great that you care about your friends and that girl this much. But if you keep beating yourself up about stuff that is not your fault; you will tear yourself apart because of it. You are doing everything that you can; pushing yourself far beyond what you should be capable of. I warn you that if you keep doing that; you are simply guaranteed to lose everything you care about. Either you will go power mad or simply push others away to protect them."

Brett stared down to his feet; "that is what she told me. I do not want to lose her in any way, but…" "But nothing!" Aeolus shouted before he went dead silent, letting Lightning speak again. "He is right Brett; she is a smart girl and you would do best to stay by her. Loosen up a bit and enjoy what you have been given. Do not blame yourself or you will lose her; just think about it ok. So anyway lets lighten the mood; anybody want to tell us something?"

Terra looked over to Atlas who stood beside him. "You want to bond?" Atlas turned his head to the other knight quickly responding; "No; I would rather just finish this stupid quest." Terra laughed a bit before saying to the other knight. "Good. Cannot believe those four are starting to bond and become friends."

Song The Legend of Zelda

The Weapons were about to exit the desert canyon, when Fayt ordered them to be quiet. They exited the canyon to view another baron wasteland; but in the distance was a large castle. There was no evidence that life had ever existed in the land in front of them, expect for some ruins of a castle.

"What is this place? What could possibly have happened here to this land?" Siarnaq questioned; he and the others all gazed across the land.

A female voice came from the sky above; the voice sounded very similar to the women's voices who had gathered all to this point and place. "This is the land of Hyrule; for so long this land has been dead. Abandoned by the gods who created it; they left the world behind, leaving fragments of their power behind. Men fought and died over the limitless power the goddesses left behind."

"The goddesses left this power behind? Why would they do such a thing?" Fayt questioned to the sky. The voice returned from the sky, to answer the Weapon. "What other reason do the gods have; they care only for themselves. They leave proof of their existence to stir hatred and malcontent for their entertainment. They will not interfere in the affairs of mortals; but anything left behind is fair game; some perfect creatures they are. View what has happened over the course of this planet's history."

A large circle of light formed underneath them; it shown brightly as a symbol formed beneath them. They were lifted high into the air; any sand fell through the symbol, returning to the earth below. The circle traveled high into the air; it circled around the kingdom.

The sun, shown high above them began to travel backwards in the sky. No sooner did the time begin to reverse through the planet's history, before the woman's voice returned. "Life cycles through the course of time; this world is a demonstration of that thesis. Through this planet's history, many great calamities have fallen upon this world. The three goddesses played their game constantly summoning a hero to end the calamities. This is the best example of why the gods are our enemy; watch time pass."

All of the Weapons watched time rewind at an incredible pace. Time re-winded to the point when the goddesses left the world they created. They collided into a single point, forming three golden triangles. More time passed quickly, showing the world's history.

Time after time, the Weapons watched different enemies appear putting the world in danger. Every time the princess and a blond haired hero saved the world. Time after time the hero of the gods came to save this world. Each time the world seamed to fall into more peril; but without fail the hero cam and stopped the tragedy from continuing. People celebrated the hero's salvation and the cycle continued to repeat.

The voice returned from above, speaking slowly as time passed. "The people of this world suffered constantly because the gods played with it. They were the ones who brought the evil back every time; giving it more power from the goddesses themselves. Then they would send the chosen hero time after time. Countless souls have suffered because of this game. For a time the goddesses would manifest themselves as humans; watching and experiencing life as others suffered. The gods are the most selfish things that have ever existed; this shall change soon enough."

The time line continued to progress; showing thousands of years in mere minutes to the Weapons. Most of the group was conflicted about what they had seen; there was no doubt that they were viewing an entire world's history. They began to wonder if Jenova was truly evil and about her goals.

"Watch, after such a long time; the gods simply abandoned the world. Evil returned, claiming the world with no opposition. The world slowly was torn apart leaving nothing behind. This happened because the gods chose to do nothing. The king of the gods does the same thing; he sits on his throne, allowing countless atrocities to be committed. Souls are torn apart for meaningless reasons; what kind of king does that? But once you all aid me; then the future will be saved from the greatest threat of all time. But enough about this world; I wish you all a fond welcome, back to your home world."

No sooner did the speech end; then the world return to the way it was when they arrived. The barren world disappeared into darkness; the Weapons felt a force pass through there whole body. They steadied themselves looking at another world.

The earth shook violently; the earth cracked, breaking apart. The land had massive gaps that were quickly increasing in size. "This world is crumbling to pieces!" shouted Theus. The voice returned with a much more sinister sound accompanying it; "welcome home weapons! To the world the gods destroyed! This is the testament to the arrogance of the gods. They destroyed this world and its people leaving an empty shell of a world. They even destroyed the Lifestream of this world; this is the birth and massive grave site of the entire Alterran race! I welcome you home, to the place where you were created."

Chapter 3 HOME?

All of the weapons were speechless; this world was on the brink of destruction. They looked around realizing they were on a slim pillar of earth. Fayt walked to the edge of the cliff; there pillar extended downwards for quite a distance. He could see nothing bellow him; the dark abyss created by the night sky only made the chasm seem infinitely deep. White lightning crashed above their head; the black clouds let a lightning bolt go almost every second.

They all looked to the only path they could take; it led upwards to the mountain cliffs. The path was only a couple of meters wide; it was fairly straight with only a few curves along the path. Every one of the weapons began to walk the path that lay in front of them. They looked from side to side; gazing across the land.

Brett was walking a long the long narrow path when his foot slipped on the edge of the path. Brett began to fall down into the dark abyss and he closed his eyes. A hand wrapped around his wrist; Brett's eyes flashed open to see Lightning struggling to hold him up. Theus grabbed onto Lightning and helped both back to a steady stance. Lightning laughed after they were both safe and everyone's attention turned to him. "I get it know! This place's gravity field is going berserk; gravity must be ten times stronger here. It would tare us apart if we tried to fly high into the air. Long story short no one fall off or you might be gone for good."

Everyone nodded before continuing up the path; leaving Brett and Lightning behind. "Thank you Lightning I really appreciate you saving me there." Lightning finally caught his breath and regained his composure; "do not worry about it. Someone has to take care of you till you get back to that girl's side. She sounds like some one you really do not want to lose and no doubt she will take real good care of you. I got someone really special at home, and so do some of the others. I will make sure you all get back home."

As the weapons rose higher; they looked left to behold the remains of a metal structure. "What is that thing?" Aeolus questioned; the voice came back immediately answering his question. "It is an Alterran ship; or at least the remains. The gods say they cannot interfere in the affairs of mortals; so they instead unleashed a plague upon on the entire ancient race. That is their idea of not interfering."

The weapons continued to travel upwards; stopping only to watch the land beneath an ancient ship sink into the earth. The Weapons paid little attention; they only wished to finish this journey and return to what they desired most. The higher they climbed the more they saw how destroyed the land was; the devastation knew no end on this poor world.

They reached the summit of the path; expecting to find more mountains on the other side, but hey found something else. The Weapons beheld a giant city of epic size; the city was nestled in an ancient crater. The Weapons looked closer at the abandoned city; the city was badly damaged and had massive gaps in the streets. The city had an advanced appearance; the society obviously had possessed great technology before its destruction.

Aeolus, Brett and Siarnaq beheld something they could relate to; massive shells of huge creatures were frozen in the streets. "Those are Weapons!" Aeolus remarked, simply sensing what was there made it obvious. The shells still emanated small amounts of ancient knowledge trapped in the shells.

"You are correct Weapon of the wind; those are the shells of dead weapons. When the planet is first inhabited by the Lifestream; the planet creates its guardians from material in the planet. Sadly these weapons were no match for the plague the gods unleashed upon this world. They are protectors of entire worlds; but this plague sucked the very thing that gave them strength. The plague destroyed the Lifestream in this world; leaving what you see. The weapons activate only during a calamity in an effort to save the Lifestream. It is sad to think of all the souls that died that day; an entire civilizations souls and people wiped from time."

"That is horrible! How can the gods have done that; what reason could they possibly have for this!" Brett shouted to the very heavens. He received no answer; standing in that spot, he wondered if they would kill everything he cared about. The other Weapons were a drift in a sea of confusion and mixed feelings. This world and the last were plenty of evidence.

"How do we know the gods did this? All we have is you word so far." Fayt asked the sky, demanding an answer from Jenova. "Everyone knows about this legend. Atlantis was the capital of the Alterrans; and the gods' wrath destroyed it so long ago. It is truly up to you to believe me or not; but that does not change the fact you all still must aid me. I have no interest in harming the ones you care about; but things must change, or the gods will lead every soul to their eventual demise. Now proceed to the volcano at the edge of the city; you must walk there, for the lightning is more then powerful enough to kill you."

The voice faded away leaving the Weapons to go on the final stretch of this journey. They descended the cliffs; they slid down the edge, stopping at the edge of the city. They began to walk forwards to the higher mountain in front of them.

The city was incredibly damaged; windows were broken and small remnants of a once great civilization lay in ruin. The Weapons walked through the city; starring at all the destruction, knowing what ever force id this was far to cruel. The skeletons of people were no where to be found; it was clear that this world was indeed ancient.

Brett was still following up behind the others; he was dead silent till he though of a question. "What exactly is the Lifestream?" Siarnaq turned his head slightly, before beginning to speak. "The Lifestream is what makes life possible. It is present in all life; from plant to human. When you die the Lifestream returns to the world and takes your conciseness and experiences with them. Lifestream is the most primary element of life, understand?"

Song Zanarkand

Brett nodded to Siarnaq; as he nodded the entire city began to shake violently. Everyone of the weapons turned to see the earth crumbling in a wave formation near where they use to be. The weapons saw the wave heading towards them at an incredible pace; the wave causing the remains of the city to sink into the earth.

Siarnaq took a single look at the crumbling city remains, and knew this was going to be massively bad. He quickly turned around yelling to the others with alarm in his voice. "RUN!!"

All of the weapons turned running towards the ancient Volcano. They dodged through the obstacles in the city; using only the lightning to light their way. The wave moved forward swallowing everything its path; the very mountains being swallowed up into the earth.

Brett was falling behind and the chasm was gaining on him. Siarnaq slowed down to grab Brett's hand pulling him forward. Siarnaq jumped forward sling shooting Brett up to the front of the group. Siarnaq burst forward at lightning speed; he looked to Brett telling him to summon his wings.

Brett looked confused for a second; he dodged through the obstacles, before he summoned his eight wings. Immediately as the wings appeared on Brett's back did the entire city light completely up The street was bathed in a gentle light that illuminated but did not hurt any of the Weapons eyes. Lightning complemented Brett on his abilities; but it was interrupted when Siarnaq pointed out a huge Weapon blocking the street.

Siarnaq's back exploded with dark energy that formed nine long arms. Each armed stretched out; the arms each found one of the other seven Weapons, before they wrapped around them.

Once Siarnaq had all seven Weapons, he quickly summoned two spears into his remaining free hands made of darkness. Siarnaq leapt into the air taking all seven other Weapons with him. The arms with spears pierced the tall ruins of the buildings, allowing Siarnaq to move forward at high speeds. The gravity was immense on Siarnaq but he was able to compensate easily for the extra weight.

The group moved quickly forward, changing paths when required because of lack of buildings or places to grapple onto. Lightning came down from the sky, tearing through the arm of darkness that carried Brett.

Brett fell to the ground, hitting his head hard, knocking him out. Theus creamed to Siarnaq to go back, but there was simply no time. Lightning dug deep with in himself; he but his hands to the arm that was carrying him. From his hands lightning tore the arm apart; Lightning dropped down, rolling on the ground before standing up.

He was not going to let this kid who was so brave die. His entire body pulsed twice; his body emerged from the light, on his back were four bright yellow wings. He reached to the sky; lightning came down in-between his fingers, creating three kunais in each hand. One kunai formed between each of fingers.

Lightning wrapped his hands around his body before he whipped them out in a semi circle. The kunais flew forward landing behind Brett's back. The wave was nearly upon him when the kunais exploded, sending Brett flying into his arms. Lightning turned after catching Brett; he carried him in both his arms, starting to run at full speed to try and catch up.

Lightning dodged and jumped over obstacles in his way. He used his surge of power to give him a massive boost in speed. The wave picked up more speed though; almost trying to swallow the Weapons into the earth. Lightning pushed himself beyond what he thought he was capable of; he did not want to die, and they're many people counting on him.

The sky erupted with rage; sending hundreds of lightning bolts across the sky. Lightning focused on his goal keeping his speed up, still aiming for the Volcano. Siarnaq landed at entrances that lead into the Volcano. His arms disappeared releasing the Weapons that turned back to see Lightning giving it his all.

Theus and Aeolus jumped forward running towards them. Lightning came down from the sky, causing anything it touched to explode. Lightning came towards the Weapon of Lightning; he was not going to let his own element kill him. He threw Brett over his shoulder as he let his wings disappear.

Lightning used his free hand to push the lightning from the sky away, diverting the path into a nearby building. Altering the path of the blast slowed Lightning down. Another blast came down from the sky on top of Lightning; the air formed a shield above saving them.

Theus spun in the air, landing into a crouching position sending a wave of ice across the street. Lightning jumped over the wave of ice, the air shield still above protecting him. Lightning came down on the ice, quickly balancing him self letting him slide into the entrance to the Volcano.

Theus and Aeolus turned running inside as the doors shut from behind. The volcano emitted a bubble shield that stopped the wave of destruction in its tracks. The eight Weapons breathed a slight sigh of relief. They all waited for Brett to regain consciousness; when he did Lightning asked how he was feeling.

"I'm fine. Thank you for saving me Lightning; I could sense your aura protecting me." Lightning just laughed a bit before responding to Brett. "No problem, you wanna see that girl again anyway right? You just got to promise me that you will take to heart what I said earlier, ok?"

Brett nodded in agreement, when Siarnaq took notice. "Good you are up; were going on then." Lightning and Theus helped Brett up into a standing position; Brett was fine to walk by him self in the last stretch of their journey.

Chapter 4 Why

The Weapons came to the only door that was not locked; they opened the door slowly to see a laboratory in front of them. They had at last arrived where they were created, and the evidence was all before them. They spread out; inspecting the equipment around the lab. They were all dead silent; they walked around, finding the tubes they remembered in the deepest part of their memories. Large and strange equipment was all around them; each machines purpose was alien to them.

Siarnaq inspected the equipment in complete disgust of this abomination. He examined a space between the machines, finding a small notebook hidden in the space. Siarnaq removed it, slowly hiding it away so he could examine it later.

The doors behind the Weapons swung open; a grey haired woman entered the room. Her body was covered in grey clothe armor. The Weapons all stared at her; she looked at all eight of the creatures that had led them to this point. A gentle smile was across her face and she looked so happy but not in a menacing way. "Hello my Weapons, my name is Jenova. I would like to thank you all for coming here, to aid me in my goals."

Siarnaq and Brett were in complete shock; this was surely not Jenova that was their creator. She had no aura what so ever and was beautiful, unlike the monster they theorized to see before them. Atlas and Terra looked at her extremely worried; she had no aura, was it even possible she could completely mask it. Could she be this powerful; her appearance had only caused a thousand new questions.

With a wave of her hand all of the equipment melted away into the ground. "It means so much to me that you are all here today. I know I have done terrible things to get you here; but you must understand why. I have owed you for an explanation for a while, but it is difficult to do anywhere since my enemies are everywhere. When you exist beyond the end of time you tend to make a few enemies."

"Jenova; what are you trying to pull here. We had to travel across this world, why? Why would the real you appear before us now?" Siarnaq questioned Jenova with a very serious expression and tone.

"I want you all to understand what I'm doing here. I hate the gods; they took everything away from me. You see I went through the timeline once; the gods killed the civilization that considered me a god. We had no interest in war till another of the three races attacked. We were punished for surpassing the gods, and even I was forced into hiding from the plague that swept the galaxy. My race was destroyed and wiped mercilessly from the galaxy. I hid away; my power keeping me alive forever; that is till the gods own creation grew a mind of its own. It gained a new mind from the creatures that were underestimated."

Jenova paused for a brief instant, waving her hand as a large circle appeared on the floor. "The universe fell into chaos because of the gods. Only when everything had perished the gods finally began to fight back. That Chaos will not begin for some time now; but it is so powerful that the gods could not stop their own creation. If I ever revealed myself then I to would have died myself. So I hid and watched as the gods let everything fall into Chaos."

"So if you know all of this how; did you get here? Time travel would require a massive power and you do not scream of that power." Theus questioned the woman, just as the circle finished forming the symbol below them. "Near the end the gods were forced to bring forth the ultimate item; the only thing that can break the rules of existence. They formed the philosopher stone from eight key elements. I took careful note of how it was made; it is pretty easy to make if you know how. Before they could activate it I used all my power to travel back to the peak of my civilization. There I fused with my previous self; merging back into the time stream with all the knowledge still intact."

"So you had all the power and knowledge from the future you, but know you were in a position to change the future. Does that mean that the Weapons are…" Theus tried to finish his next question when Jenova interrupted.

"Theus, you are very smart. I had what I needed to change the timeline forever, but I needed all of your aid. I enlisted four more Alterrans, two of the Magi, and last was a single member of the Cetra. They were all members I though I could trust. We worked tirelessly on the final Weapon project here. We ran so many simulations and did so many tests, but it was worth everything we had sacrificed. I was going to change the future, but then I was betrayed."

"You were betrayed by Arniath right. He gave all of us a mind and a soul. He was the one who separated us to stop you." Brett exclaimed and Jenova shook her head. "He was worried what I was about to unleash by playing with gods power. He delayed my plans putting me in this position. You see all of you are not truly Weapons; you are a combination of the three races that originally existed. You were cloned off of a man named Brett; he was part of the Magi civilization even though he was something unique."

"Wait! What do you mean we are not the Weapons?" Aeolus questioned. "Simple you are not Weapons; you never were supposed to be Weapons. You were the first step in a line that would create the last Weapon I would ever need to kill the gods. This is all about killing the gods. You are part of a new race; a combination of all three races with powers and evolution capabilities beyond imagination. Inside each of you is an entire planet's Lifestream; you are all immortals that shall never age; and eventually you would have gained a soul. Of course you are not invincible; but I gave you powers to ensure your survival."

"We are not Weapons, then why do I remember killing an entire planet of innocents?" Brett asked. "That was implanted by that worthless Cetra; all a ruse to destroy my plan. He never could accept that the gods would lead us all to obliteration; his conscience told him to betray me. I'm sure he had his reasons but they do not matter; the Cetra became my enemy that day."

"Is that why there is a clone of you sitting in a building on another world; one that tried to kill the Cetra of that world?" Jenova nodded before continuing; "yes I do hate them for that simple fact. No, none of you are Weapons, but you are my legacy to all time. Each of you is a key piece to forming the ultimate tool of creation. You all are part of the Philosopher Stone; an item that can breaks the rules of all creation. This is why I need all of your help; then you can go live however you want. And you shall spread a new race across the galaxy. You shall create the final Weapon; the Weapon that shall defeat Zeus; the king of the gods."

It was a lot for anyone to take in; most of this new race was completely surprised. Jenova was the first to brake the dead silence; "so you all know the truth now. My true goal is to destroy the gods, and finally let mortals control their future. You all can proceed to you symbol on the ground; by the way I'm eternally grateful to all of you, for your aid. Now please to your symbols."

None of the former Weapons were crazy about this idea; but hey all knew what was at stake. They all proceeded to their spot, finding their symbol beneath them. Only Siarnaq did not move; "Why Jenova? you cannot play god! This is far too dangerous for you to be choosing the path for everyone."

"No it is not; I have the knowledge and shall prevail. Please go to your spot, I do not want to go back to that world and kill that young blond girl." Siarnaq backed down, quickly understanding the threat that was implied.

Siarnaq took his place; the ground shot up, encasing each of the eight in a cocoon of earth. Each cocoon glowed its respective elements color. Slowly the cocoons rose up off the ground; light connected each one together. The cocoons each turned into a different colored gem; the Weapons inside frozen and helpless. Their true power was no at the will of Jenova.

"Now, Philosopher's Stone come forth and do my bidding! Create for me the Perfect Weapon to change the future!" The stones reacted, energy shot from each stone; in the center the beams met. The beams touched sending massive force destroying the mountain and the shield.

Jenova opened her eyes to see a female creature with long white hair standing in the center of the gems. Jenova was so incredibly happy with the sight before her eyes; this was it. The gems descended to the ground; releasing the Weapons trapped inside. Jenova walked over and waved her hand at Metal; the former Weapon disappeared into the wind.

"I'm sorry but I needed to destroy the stone. With a single link done the stone will never be used against me again. The rest of you are free to leave; but first let me introduce the Weapon of Infinity. This Weapon will destroy the gods and forever change the reality we live in."

All of the Weapons slowly struggled upwards to look at Jenova; the shear horror of her power over the Weapon of Metal was terrifying. "How the hell could you do that to him! The Weapon of metal was your creation too!" Brett questioned with rage apparent in his voice; Jenova looked at Brett with great interest. "You are truly something special, Brett. You now have the quickest evolution; you could become a bigger threat then Infinity. But regardless you all shall never be called that ugly word again. Your race will be known as the Exia."

Jenova was completely enthralled with the Weapon; she walked forward slowly disappearing into a portal that formed beneath them. Everyone could not believe what they had done. Their knowledge of what they were was completely wrong.

They stood there speechless; Terra was gone with a single wave from their Creator. No one knew what to do or how to make something like this right. "I don't know if what we did was right, but we are still alive at least. We should probably go home." Brett stated to the group; wanting to return to Blair after this failure. It was his only consolation; and little was consolidating the other Exia.

The others all nodded; it was far too dangerous to stay where they were. The planet had been fragmented by the force of the Weapons creation. All the pieces of the planet were held together by remaining atmosphere and electrical energy. Atlas stopped behind the rest of the group; "This is wrong; we have to do something."

Just when the others stopped to turn around and look at Atlas; they heard a sinister laugh come from the distance. "What can you do?" questioned a voice from no where. Atlas felt a hand break his armor; every turned to see the frightening sight.

Atlas was thrown to the others feat after mere seconds of being impaled. Brett went down to check Atlas, only to find his comrade was completely dead. Brett looked up questioning the cloaked man. "What did you do to him?" The man looked down at him; "My original name was Brett once. When I lost my identity to all of you I gave that name up; and now you bear witness to the original. My name is Váli, named after the god of revenge. I took his Lifestream and left only an empty shell. He is gone forever, and soon the rest of you shall join him. The Weapons die here; I will no longer live with my sin!"

Chapter 5 Originality

"I'm so tired of being called a Weapon; every one keeps telling me that I'm a Weapon of destruction. But now I know that I'm not some Weapon; I will never think that I am again. You are not going to be forgiven; I have no intention of dyeing here today, and no one else will die here either. If anyone is going to die, it will be you; I will get back to Blair!" Brett shouted; re-summoning his eight white wings to his back.

Song What Shall we Die For

Everyone was surprised; this was nothing like the depressed kid that traveled with them. Lightning now understood why that girl had stuck with him; Brett was truly a hero. "Then what are you exactly?" Váli asked.

Brett looked at him with determination and strength in his eyes. "We are the Exia; I'm not some Weapon someone can manipulate. I'm the Exia of light; if you think we do not disserve to exist then I will kill you where you stand. You are the same person that I have met twice. I was not ready for you last time but this time I am. I do not care if the name is from Jenova herself; I will take over the title of Weapon."

"Tech Form!" Brett shouted; his body being replaced with a human size machine form with blue wings. "I am ready to fight for what ever I choose; no one will manipulate me again. I will make it back to Blair, even if I have to go through you!"

Siarnaq was next to speak; "everyone into your Tech form now. The atmosphere is leaving and everyone fights. Tech Form!" Siarnaq disappeared; in his place stood a red robot with a giant backpack attached to its slim body. "I will no longer be called a Weapon either. Our race needs a new name; we are not just clones."

Aeolus stepped forward next; speaking in a normal voice. "I'm tired of being considered a Weapon; I've got a lot to fix when I get home. Tech form!" Aeolus vanished into the wind; a grey machine took his place with a backpack that was split down the middle with large spikes coming out of it. "Besides, Exia of the wind is so much cooler."

Theus stepped up; "I will not die here, my friends are depending on me. Tech Form." Theus was replaced with his blue machine form; the long spear returned to him the blade emitting a laser. "I will no longer be considered a Weapon; I'm the Exia of water. I may be a new species but I will use my power for good. I have made my choice."

"Well I do not care about others; but you will be a challenge. Tech Form!" Fayt's body was wrapped in metal; his new form equipped with wings that emitted a pink glow. Fayt reached back grabbing a sword that extended to twice the original length, with a glowing edge of the blade. "I am the Destiny Exia; just give up and I may go easy on you."

Lightning looked at the familiar machines in front of him. "These are all Gundams; all of these guys have Gundam forms. Let's try mine, TECH FORM!" Lightning was replaced with his Epyon Gundam serving as his Tech form. "No way I'm the Epyon. Fine let's do this; I need to get home anyway. I'm the Exia of lightning and you will fall Váli."

Song Narvas

Váli laughed maniacally; his arm moved outwards. A long sword appeared in Váli's hand; it was serrated on one side, and smooth on the other. Váli threw off his cloak, revealing his green metal armor underneath. "I'm the one that needs to die? You can never beat the original! That is the way it was intended to be, and you shall all perish so I can truly be free from my sin. Who cares if you die; you should not exist and I will fix what has been broken."

Brett looked to the other Exia; "Today we fight for our survival. Not one of us shall die here today; we shall all survive this fight. He may think that the original will always win, but we are going to prove him wrong. We are more then clones of him! Are you with me?"

Each of the warriors shouted that they were. Theus grabbed his spear readying it at his side. Fayt held his long blade so it touched the ground in front of him. Aeolus took his twin laser blades and put them together; they formed a long laser bladed, double sided sword. Siarnaq pulled out a single sword to go with his huge shield in the other hand. Lightning pulled his large laser sword out holding it in both hands in front of him.

Brett used the full power of his thrusters to blast forward into Váli. Brett approached spreading his wings apart before he took his twin laser sabers out. Brett crossed his arms, bringing both sabers out; meeting with Váli's blade. The swords all locked together before Váli forced Brett back through the air with his strength.

Brett stopped in the air, using his thrusters. He looked upwards to see Váli coming down on him; Fayt flew into the path, his wings emitting a pink glow. Fayt swung his sword with all his might; the blades clashed together sending both warriors backwards.

Váli cursed his opponents; spinning his blade, which emitted a green wave of energy that traveled towards Fayt. Lasers shot down from six spikes; cutting through the wave of green energy. The spikes returned to Aeolus's backpack; he dashed forward trying to stab his enemy. Váli aloud the blade to pass underneath his left shoulder; he swung his blade with his right hand.

The blade approached Aeolus; but Aeolus quickly moved his left hand up, before his hand emitted a shield of energy. The sword was easily blocked; Aeolus let his laser sword disappear before he flew upwards. Váli looked in front of him seeing Brett returning with his sabers.

Váli readied his sword for the coming strike; but Brett flew upwards at the last minute. Váli had no time to react when a large laser blast and several other lasers were fired. They all hit they're mark; Váli was sent backwards, his feet dragging in the ground. Theus landed and recovered from his burst attack.

Váli took the opportunity; lifting his left hand to Theus before a green beam fired at Theus. Siarnaq landed in front of Theus blocking the blast. Váli was in shock still moving backwards when he saw Lightning coming at him from his side.

Váli summoned a shield to his left arm, just as Lightning brought his large saber across, hitting the new shield. The force sent Váli flying off in a new direction; he collided into a large piece of the destroyed world.

The Weapons readied themselves for the next bought; fragments of the planet shattered as six small green beams passed through. Each beam targeted a different warrior. Each of the Exia flew off the large solid piece of planet; leaving the beams to destroying what was once a battlefield.

The six warriors floated in the space within the fragmented world. They all waited for the next attack from Váli; but it did not come. Váli teleported behind the warrior, slowly clapping his hands; the remaining atmosphere allowing the small sound to be heard. "You are all first class truly you are; you have even impressed me. My power extends from the Lifestream itself; to fight and stand against my power is a marvel. You have all developed so much since I last saw you all; especially you Light! I have been watching you all for a while, but now is the time to kill you all."

"Why are you so interested in destroying us? What do you stand to gain from our deaths? What have we done to disserve this? Killing us will only hurt more people that care about us; and it will not fix the past." Brett asked and stated, switching out his twin sabers for a shield and laser rifle. "I was born a half breed; half Cetra, half Magi. It turned out I was a perfect mix that combined the two races perfectly. But I was the only one; all of the Magi including my father disappeared one day. We are not so different; we are both nearly the only ones of our kind. The fact is you all screwed up; you gave Jenova all that power. I will stop you all from becoming a greater threat."

"How can you justify killing us with that reason. Does it matter not to you that we have people who care about us? Does it matter that we have homes and we have feelings? Well? What gives you the right to choose?" Brett furiously questioned his opponent, giving no pause to let him explain.

"I do not care what you think; I will destroy you no matter what you have done. Jenova created you to create the final Weapon; she will rule everything with that much power. There are many reasons I can use to justify your death. I am set on my path; so stop trying to reason with me. You all still have no clue what is set against you."

Lightning approached Brett; they hovered side by side. "Brett, there is no way to change his mind. Besides this guy is losing already in this fight; he will fall to us. You are nothing compared to what I thought you would be."

Siarnaq was not amused with the insulting; "stop fooling around Lightning. He may be more powerful then we give him credit for. Over confidence can easily be the reason why you die; and I rather we did not give this scum the pleasure. I have no one to return too; but I want these guys to return to their loved ones. If I die then it would be worth it to see the others survive."

"You all have bonded and feel like a family; which is good because you are all that is left in your race. That is funny; but I suppose it is appropriate that you die here. This is you're birth place and the place where you shall die. Now enough talking; its time to fight."

Váli began to glow green; from his body shot five green orbs. One orb flew near each of the warriors, except for Brett. Each orb formed a copy of Váli that glowed green; each one with a weapon just like Váli's. "You are mighty together, but you will fall when I split you up. Brett you can fight me; you have earned that right. You are not the family I have desired; nor do I want you around."

Váli motioned to Brett; he took the bait by firing laser blasts at Váli. Váli dodged each one by summoning green waves of energy that extended from his back. Váli used them like wings; pushing him through debris, dodging attacks from Brett. Váli turned sharply flying right at Brett; Brett reacted to the sight, tossing away his blaster.

He grabbed a saber; quickly deploying the laser blade. Váli's sword collided with Brett's shield, and Brett's saber collided into Váli's shield. The warriors pushed the other back with all their might. "You will die Váli" Brett shouted, before pushing off Váli.

Siarnaq fired multiple laser shots at the clone of Váli. The clone kept its distance; Siarnaq was far more accurate then Brett. Váli's clones seemed much faster; but Siarnaq adjusted, pelting the Clone multiple times with his lasers. The clone got furious, turning and heading towards Siarnaq. Siarnaq's tech form launched its backpack; it fired its engines traveling into the clone, taking him flying away from Siarnaq.

Theus's spear clashed with the blade; both warriors pushed the other back with their strength. The clone faced Theus; his anger surging getting ready to charge forward. Lightning flew in from behind, cutting the clone that faced Theus in half. Lightning trusted upwards; leaving the clone behind him to run into a burst attack by Theus. Multiple lasers tore the second clone apart. Lightning retuned to Theus's side in time to watch the clones regenerate. "Let's do this Theus."

Fayt destroyed his clone multiple times with his huge sword. The clone regenerated quickly every time; the distance between them getting smaller each time. Fayt grabbed the clones head, before firing a laser from his palm destroying the clone. It regenerated in time for Fayt to repeat the process. "Persistent bastards, DIE!"

Aeolus's spikes moved around the clone; firing lasers into it. Every time the clone approached, a laser fired downwards into the clone. Aeolus watched the clone regenerate each time; "Enough of this, I'm going to get you myself." Aeolus traveled forward deploying his sword; plunging it into the clone before it could fully regenerate.

Brett fired his thrusters, stopping him from traveling backwards. His wings spread out behind him; the canons in between the two sheets of metal flipping up. Brett's cannons fired into Váli sending him backwards at high speeds.

Váli's skin broke apart; Brett noticed thinking it was over as Váli exploded. Green energy pored out before it began to form an entirely new creature that towered in front of Brett. "Now you all die; Omega obliteration!" shouted a telepathic voice.

Each clone disappeared into the large behemoth of a creature; All of the warriors took immediate notice of the large creature. Massive amounts of cosmic energy entered the beast. Its body surged; forcing the warriors backwards from the shear force. Brett knew it was going to have more then enough force to kill all of them.

Brett pored all of his energy into his thrusters; slowly closing the distance in between him and Váli's new form. Brett pushed himself harder and harder; the others amazed at his effort and determination to save them. Brett was giving his all; the force tearing his machine form to shreds. The machine body Brett possessed was slowly disappearing with the force that emanated from the creature. The armor cracking and disintegrating but Brett would not give up.

Brett gave one last fierce battle cry, before he slammed into an invisible barrier when the creature fired its attack. The entire dimension was consumed with the energy of the Lifestream; consuming all in a blinding light that was felt in dimensions away…

Blair suddenly woke; she looked up to the sky from the grassy meadow she lay in. Marcel looked at Blair while he lay on the grass; "What is it Blair?" Blair just starred up at the sky; "I just felt a shock. Like something huge just happened deep out in space."

Marcel sat up and put his hand on her shoulder; "you think it had something to do with Brett?" Blair looked over at him with sadness in her eyes; "everything is still just such a mess. Jaden and most of the others are gone to search for Jesse, and we have not heard from Brett in over a week. Every day I wait for him to return, and nothing."

"Do not worry Blair; I'm sure he will be just fine. If he is half as tuff as you say he is then we shall see him again.. Brett would not leave us." Blair held the ring tightly in her hand and looked down upon it and smiled. "You're right Marcel; Brett will come back to me. He will be fine and he will come back. After all I'm in love with him."


	4. Chapter 1 The Ones I Love

Chaotic Outbreak

Chaotic Outbreak

Exia of Light

Endless Illumination

Chapter 1 The Ones I Love

Sudden coughing and hacking broke the gentle sounds of the meadow apart. The sound commanded everything's attention towards the source. Slowly Brett hacked and coughed and struggled to move his body; he felt no pain anywhere in his body. His eyes opened to a blurry sky; his vision was failing him and none of his muscles could do anything. "Did I die? Is this the afterlife?"

Brett continued to struggle upwards when he felt a palm against his chest. "Take your time; you have not moved in some time. It will take some time for all of your motor skills to return." A voice told Brett; he could not see well at all but he recognized the voice. "Siarnaq? Is that you? I can feel nothing in my entire body; am I dead? Did I fail everyone?"

"No you are not dead; not yet anyway…" Another voice said causing Brett to shoot upwards into a sitting position. "I thought you had no control of your muscles, but I guess you really are something special." Brett's eye sight returned and he looked over to see Váli sitting beside 4 other Exia. "Váli what are you doing here…? What happened? How long was I out…? Where am I? what…"

Lightning jumped down and support Brett's trembling body; causing Brett to pause his assault of questions. "Easy there; you just woke up so relax. You need to take it easier; after all you took the worst beating of everyone here." Lightning stopped after his sentence when he felt a poke to his side; he turned to see Aeolus looking down on him. "Stop stressing the guy out; he just came too after that battle and now you're making him worried. You feeling any better; you idiot… I cannot believe you were dumb enough to try that."

Sounds came back to the meadow of birds and wind blowing through nearby trees. Brett got all of his vision back, but he still had multiple questions. "Yes I think my vision is back to normal; I'll live but how long was I out. How did I survive that attack; it felt like my body was disintegrating in the energy… Just how the hell could I have survived that attack? That attack clearly should have killed me…"

Brett sighed just when Theus began to answer; "well not to alarm you but you have been out for about three months…" Brett shot up; knocking everyone off to the side. Theus jumped up and grabbed hold of Brett; stopping him from leaving while Brett struggled against his grasp. "Slow down there; if you are worried about how much time has passed do not. This dimensions time passes at a much quicker pace then other dimensions. So these months are more like a few days or even hours to others. Stop worrying yourself; you still need to rest."

Brett stopped his attempts and relaxed into a standing position, and Theus calmly continued. "I had a feeling you would be stressed by the idea, but that is why we came here. You can thank Siarnaq for everything." Brett's legs were still weak, and he collapsed into a sitting position looking up to the sky. "It is so peaceful here; how did we end up here?"

Siarnaq sat there in his cloak with his legs crossed. "No doubt you would want to know what happened. Brett when you were battling with Váli; you tried to stop his final attack, but it would have killed all of us. So I used my power over darkness to transport us to another dimension to avoid the attack. We were all hurt slightly but you were the worst because of your valiant efforts. So I brought us here and we evaded the attack; Váli unleashed it onto the empty dimension. But regardless you have finally recovered from that attack; and that is a beacon of light."

Brett looked back to Váli who was sitting beside Siarnaq. "Why is he here? He was trying to kill us not to long ago. Also where is Fayt to…?" Váli looked at him momentarily before beginning to speak; "yes there is a story behind that too. When my attack passed it had left me completely drained of all my energy. Siarnaq returned and rescued me from dying out there. Since then I have had time to realize that you all are not bad, and perhaps that this truly is not your fault. I owe Siarnaq a great deal for saving me, and you all have my thanks for pledging yourselves against Jenova."

Lightning walked over and put his hand on Brett's shoulder; "so that makes us all allies. Unfortunately Fayt did not share that idea. He cursed all of us, and even himself for how weak he was; to think all he cares about is power. He told us he wanted no part of who we were. He left this dimension by himself and headed off somewhere. But even if he did he only has a days head start about…"

Siarnaq interrupted; his commanding voice drawing everyone's attention to him. "More importantly is what he was promised. Jenova promised us each something in return for aiding her, and after fighting with him it clear what he seeks… Jenova promised him power and he intends to find her and collect. He could become a threat but all of us need to decide what we will be doing. We have many problems arising, and a thousand questions; even I'm wondering how to overcome it."

"That was not the real Jenova you met" Váli said; looking down at the ground. "No one in any dimension you could access has ever seen the real her. The one you met at the previous world was a clone as well. Now that they control the Weapon of Infinity I doubt they will give any time in going after their real goal. I do not know what Jenova will do from this point on beyond her goal but she has thousands of clones operating under her command. Thankfully Olympus is still incredibly well hidden, but it will only take so long for her to get there and then the true chaos will begin…"

Suddenly before Váli could utter another word; Brett's ears perked up and he rose. He starred into the sky with a panicked expression across his face. Lightning looked over at his friend's panicked expression. "Brett what is wrong? You sense something going on somewhere?"

"I have to leave; my home is in danger! I can sense it I have to leave now!" Brett finished his statement and changed into his tech form. His form was fully regenerated to its former glory. Brett wasted no time and shot off into the sky at a greater speed then he had ever traveled leaving the others behind. "Do not worry Lightning; he will be fine. It is rather amusing to think that he has that kind of power when he is worried about her. If he had used that back when we were fighting then the outcome may have been different."

Brett broke through the atmosphere at a speed he never thought possible. He paused up in space for a moment looking around at the stars and planets of a system. He could sense Blair barely but then he felt the rings presence; a small glimmer appeared off in space and Brett knew it was the ring leading him home. "Blair hold on I'm coming back… and I will not let anything happen to you!"

Brett's body surged with new found energy and determination; he shot off in the direction of the glimmer of light. He had to make it there and quickly; what ever was there was huge. Brett pushed his tech form's thrusters to their maximum extent of it's capabilities. If he did not hurry then it was game over for all of his friends; something felt incredibly wrong.

Lightning ripped the sky apart and the incredible sound of thunder deafening everyone in ear shot. The sky turned back from its grey clouds from a perfectly clear day; demanding the attention of hundreds in moments. Almost every duelists and faculty member went outside to see what had happened. Blair and Marcel went outside; trying to find out just what was happening, but hoping that this was not what it appeared to be.

The dust and smoke cleared the area leaving everyone's questioned to be answered. Almost all of the students had returned but two were not present. Blair's eyes watered when she saw that both Jaden and Brett were missing from the group. She turned and but her head over Marcel's shoulder. She still believed in Brett's return but hope for his return kept growing dimmer each day; it was becoming clear that he may not be coming back.

Sadness was across everyone's face over the loss of their two friends. Syrus stood there starring into space; tears poring down his face. He shouted Jaden's name to the sky at the loss of his friend. Hasleberry walked over to Blair and made a small noise; Blair turned around to see a sad look on his face. "Sorry Blair; we found no signs of Brett at all. I'm sorry Blair but he may be gone."

The news only saddened Blair and she turned back and began to cry with the same intensity as Syrus. Chancellor Shepard looked down at his feet; "there is no way I will be able to tell both families that they are gone. Especially Brett's parent; he will never except this at all. Still this is hard to accept that they are gone…"

High above the planet three spaceships hovered high above. The commander sat on the bridge with his advisors; they looked on wards to the monitor in front of them. "Still no confirmation on the whereabouts of the Weapon of Light, Commander." The Commander looked down onto the group of students. "Yes I see that but we have our orders; we will either lure him out or destroy this world. Regardless I think it is obvious what we must do at this point."

Song Saikisen

"Very well sir; we have a go then. Signal Unicorn to begin approaching the planet, and tell the drop pods to launch. We have to make this perfect; tell them they have a go to use all force necessary!" The commander yelled to the other members aboard the ship. "We have a go… I repeat we have a go; all soldiers are to descend to the planet!"

The pods dropped from the bottom of three ships and began to descend towards the planet below. The soldiers and mechs inside of the pods all readied their weapons for an attack. The heat built up inside the pods as they descended onto the planet. A red aura of heat built up around the pods and sound of them descending to the planet commanded everyone's attention.

The pods passed through the upper atmosphere and began to cool down; returning to their original green color. The heat did not affect any of the soldiers in the slightest because of their suits, and they were ready to go. The pods continued to descend closer to the earth. The pods split open releasing fifteen human soldiers down into the air; followed by nine machines that each carried a long laser canon in their arms.

The remainder of the pods disappeared into waves of darkness; leaving the soldiers to land on the planet surrounding the all of the students. They pointed their rifles at the students and blocked off all escape routes. The large machines hovered above; waiting for a signal to even aim at the other students.

One soldier stepped forward pointing his rifle at the group of students. "We are here for the Weapon of Light; if he is here then come forth and save this world, or we will destroy it." Alexis became angry at the threat intended; "He is not here! We do not know where he is; so leave us alone."

The soldier walked over to Alexis; his face was not visible through the mask but he was still menacing. "By order of Balance we are here to capture and kill the Weapon off Light by any means necessary. If the Weapon of Light does not show up then this world will be forfeit. We have more then enough strength to destroy this world if he does not show him self. It is amusing to think he would not save this world considering what lives here. I thought he loved this girl, but I guess intelligence was wrong…"

"Shut up!" Blair shouted with more force then she knew she had; her eyes still watering with tears. "Brett would never abandon us; he loves me and he is more of a hero then most people could ever hope to be. He will come to save us; I know he will!" The sound of laughter came through his helmet; "is that so. Well maybe he will come after you all are dead; then he can die to. Sad to think we must make such a large sacrifice; but orders are orders. He will not come and you will all die; some Hero!"

Suddenly a surge of light came from deep space causing sensors aboard the ships to spike. "Large power source coming from deep space; the power level is vastly superior to the registered power of the Weapon of Light. Sir I think the Weapon of Light is coming. He will catch all of our soldiers off guard."

The commander turned around and looked at the screen. "Get me a visual on what is coming now!" The monitor began to display Brett's tech form, and the Commander gasped. "That is far more advanced; tell the troops to kill the hostages now! Tell them it is coming!"

The soldier received the message and lifted his hand to the sky and backed off. "Sorry but you all have to die; nothing personal it is just the job we were hired to do. Sad to kill off cute girls… but it is either you or us." The soldiers all lifted their rifles at the students and the large machines lifted their cannons to students' positions.

The cannons began to charge and all of the rifles triggers were started to be pulled. Everyone closed their eyes and prepared them selves for what was to follow. Blair jumped into Marcel's arms and took a deep breath praying for Brett. Suddenly twenty six laser blasts came down destroying the fifteen rifles and the nine cannons. Blair let out a gasp and everyone opened their eyes to see that they were safe.

The soldiers through down their rifles that were melted and destroyed. "Damnit; it is here the Weapon is above us. How everyone get ready to engage." The leader of the soldiers looked to the sky and all of the soldiers got ready for what was coming. Still he was not prepared for what was coming; not after what had just happened.

Song Tobe Freedom

"Now is the time for a hostage situation…" Shouted the leader and he began to run over to Blair but was cut off by another laser that shot down in front of his face. He got angry and grabbed his knife from a portion of his vest. The readied the knife but another laser his hand causing him to drop the knife.

A beam of light shot down though the sky; it stopped a hundred feet above the ground. Blair's eyes lit up as she shouted; "Brett!" The new machine form was alien to some but Blair had no doubt who it really was.

The machine turned and flew off towards the ocean; the nine machines gave chase and each pulled out a new weapon. The machines flew after Brett but could not even come close to matching his speed. Brett got far enough ahead that he could turn around and began firing. Each shot hit a machine destroying it with that single shot, and quickly four machines fell.

The remaining five machines continued forward and powered up their axe weapons. Each axe had a laser blade; Brett switched his twin laser rifles for his swords. The five machines passed by Brett trying to kill him but each pass the swords diverted the axes. The fifth machine came at Brett head on and readied its arm for the coming swing.

Brett flipped in the air using the thrusters on his back; his foot struck the machine knocking it off balance. Brett completed the flip and brought his sabers across the struck machine and destroyed it. Brett turned back to machines that were coming back for another attempt at Brett's life. The eight blue dragoon units on his wings flew off and fired their lasers destroying the final four machines.

Brett turned his attention to the sky; he lifted his arm and a blast of laser hit him. He was enveloped into the explosion and the soldiers by the students laughed. "He is dead after that attack; we have completed our mission." Alexis chuckled despite the tears of joy from knowing Brett was alive.

Alexis began to speak up; "you obviously do not know anything about your target. Brett will not be killed so easily by that." The soldier turned back; "what do you mean?" Blair dried her tears and looked at the black smoke that had enveloped Brett. Alexis walked over to Blair and put her hand on her shoulder. "He did not come all this way to be stopped by that weak attack."

Song Strike Shutsu

The eight blue units returned through the black smoke, and the smoke cleared away revealing Brett still is tech form completely unharmed. On his right arm he had deployed a shield of energy that had fully blocked the blast from doing any damage. Brett lowered his shield and rushed over to his friends. He stopped above them just as another blast from the laser canons pierced the sky.

The blasts were each blocked by Brett with his shield. When the barrage of attacks stopped Brett traveled upwards into the sky at top speeds. "Sir the Weapon is coming straight for us. There is no time to evade, what are your orders?" questioned a soldier on the Bridge. The Commander was speechless for a moment but quickly changed his game plan. "All batteries open fire on the Weapon of Light. Do not waste shots on his friends; concentrate all fire power on him!"

Brett passed through the higher levels of the upper atmosphere at top speeds. Firing resumed when he reached space and Brett was pelted by multiple missiles and laser cannon blasts. Every attack hit his shield and Brett never gave an inch backwards. His thrusters continually pushed back and he waited for the perfect time to strike. He backed off without any warning giving him more room to evade.

The twin laser rifles were taken from Brett's tech form and slammed together to form a single long rifle. Brett took a second to aim and fired a single shot that passed through two of the ships causing them to explode back into shadows. Brett flew in at high speeds and dodged the laser fire. He stopped directly in front of the ship and deployed the cannons on the form's hips; destroying the long range laser canons on the ship.

More weapon fire tried to shoot Brett down, but Brett was far to fast to come close to hitting. He deployed his eight blue dragoon units; the units swarmed the ship and struck down the ships weapon systems. Brett stopped when the ship was disabled; he had no interest in killing these people. To his surprise the ship self destructed after a few seconds.

Brett turned around to see a large Planet sized enemy coming towards the earth. It was still some distance away from the planet but it would come no closer then it already was. "What are you?" Brett questioned and a large voice was sent through a communication field between the two. "I am Unicron!"

Brett looked at the tremendous opponent that continued to move forwards to destroy the world he called home. "I just got back; nothing is going to destroy my home world especially not you!" Brett shouted and his form changed again.

The new form was like all of his other forms combined. The twin white wings on his back stretched for miles across space. Along the top of the wings were large dragoon units; the wings were half metal and half angelic. The main body was small in comparison and was half his tech form and half some other alloy. The dragon head was armor plated and he had a set of mechanical arms and a set of dragon arms.

The new form shot forward and impacted onto the planet sized enemy; sending it a massive distance back through space. The planet stopped moving backwards and quickly started moving forwards again to achieve its goal. Brett approached again at high speeds and this time weapon fire filled space again.

All eight Dragoon units on each wing deployed and flew in front of Brett. The dragoons deployed small shields that took turns blocking in coming shots. The dragon charged up an attack in its mouth and let it fire. The blast hit Unicron creating a large crater in its outer armor.

Unicron next deployed his gigantic cannon that was on the opposite side to the crater, and aimed it at the creature that was quickly approaching. This time the sixteen dragoon units worked together and created a massive shield in front of Brett. The cannon did not have to charge, and fired a massive beam that was once again easily thwarted by the shield.

Brett stopped moving forward for a second with his large shield still blocking all attacks from hitting him "I cannot leave evidence that you existed; it will only cause a panic down on that world. I will banish you from all existence and you will not ever harm anything again."

The mechanical hands slammed together and a long bladed sword of light formed in his hands. He firmly gripped the sword in his hands and used his wings to shoot forward. The form reached the speed of light and quickly approached the mechanical planet. The head of the form roared fiercely and inside Brett's mind he shouted the name of the attack. "Banishment!!" The form passed straight through the world and it disappeared into a blinding flash.

Song Senkou no hate ni

The remaining soldiers down on the planet were amazed to see no trace of Unicron. "What the hell!! Is he gone? How could he have made an entire assault planet disappear like that?" questioned the Commander. "He has to be gone; he must have sacrificed him self. Nothing is that powerful!!"

Before the leader of the ground troops could complain any more Brett broke through the atmosphere, but this time he was in human form. He still wore the same red sweater that was torn from previous battles. His Jeans were cut and scrapped, but as far as anyone could tell he had no injuries.

Blair was ecstatic to see the real him coming back to her like he promised. The soldiers were however not happy, and the leader was furious. "NO! It is impossible! Men remember we cannot go back so we must try and kill him. Give him no quarter and make sure he dies this time!"

Each of the soldiers grabbed a spare knife or a pistol waiting for a chance to attack. "Wait for him top get closer." Brett however knew what was going on; he looked to the roof of the school while he descended. His blades still embedded in the roof; he focused in on them and moved his arms to his sides.

The blades teleported to Brett's hands; he quickly slammed them together forming a single long sword in front of him. Energy fired out from Brett's back and attached to his feet in the shape of a board. Brett began surfing in the air, and soldiers took off into the sky after Brett.

They approached him and began firing at Brett with their pistols while the men with knives closed in. Brett shifted his weight from side to side to evade some bullets; while blocking others with his sword. Brett closed in and slashed each of them with his sword. Brett knew these things were not human and that they had no purpose but to kill.

Each of the soldiers fell with no real opposition and Brett finished them in half a minute. He approached the ground and he let the board of energy disappear. Brett landed by the school at let a sigh out; his sword disappeared and he turned around to look at everyone who was waiting for him to say something like they all thought it was still a dream. "Looks like I can still make an entrance right?"

Blair could no longer wait any longer and ran towards to Brett. Brett could not keep his composure any longer, and he began to run forward towards Blair. Blair jumped up into Brett's arms the two pulled the other into a deep hug. Blair's feet could not touch the ground but she did not care any longer; this felt more like a dream the reality. "Brett I have wanted you back for so long; I never gave up on you coming back. I promise I will never let you out of my sight again."

Suddenly the two heard many different people coming over. Soon they were all surrounded by most of their friends. Alexis smiled at Brett and looked at his face; she was startled when she saw something Brett never had done before. "Brett? Are you crying?" Alexis questioned and everyone's attention was drawn to him.

Brett put Blair down and much to her surprise he actually had tears coming down his face. "I have missed you all so much; so much happened in the months I have been gone." Everyone was puzzled to his very words; Blair looked up at him and began to speak to him. "Brett; only about a week has happened since you disappeared. It felt like a month without you Brett. We all have missed you a lot."

Brett was surprised but not that shocked; Theus told him that things would have passed much faster. He was quick to notice one other key person still missing from the crowd. "Where is Jaden?" Brett questioned but no one could give him a response. Brett panicked and franticly repeated the question until Jesse spoke up. "Jaden is gone Brett; we do not know where he is. You see he came back to try and save me and you. But in the end he played the hero and stayed behind."

Suddenly Brett felt a sharp and quick incredible pain in his chest and he dropped to his knees. Another blast hit him and he drifted off to sleep. Blair got down and checked his pulse to make sure he was fine. Blair breathed a sigh of relief at the fact he was okay. "He is fine, but then why did he pass out?" Blair asked and Alexis walked over; "He is probably tired. After a good night sleep he will be fine so why don't we move him to the Red dorm and you can look after him Blair?"

Blair quickly agreed and the group dispersed off in their own directions. Blair was incredibly content to have Brett back in her grasp. She was not going to let him leave her again. She still had no clue about what he had been through but so long as he was safe and uninjured she was happy.

The Chancellor looked on at Brett and he began to think to him self; "It's amazing to think what he has been through this year. I have heard from so many that what he did in the other dimension was amazing but this is proof of his abilities. The cover up worked but no doubt his father will want to meet him. He was worried so long ago when he did not come back the first time; I must let him know immediately."

"So that is the Weapon of Light huh? Wow all that fight is in that little body huh? Makes me sad that I got to kill him; well it would if I had a heart. Now all I have to do is wait for him to be alone; no point spilling more blood then I have too." Said a man a top of the Red dorm; his red hair and black cloak moved gently in the breeze. "Sorry you got to die."

Meanwhile two people stood around a portal that showed them the events that had transpired. The female looked at the male with a serious tone in her voice. "Our first attack has failed… That is the target for sure; I sense now is not the best time to strike with that girl nearby." The male nodded and continued with a similar tone. "Yes we shall wait... Then we will use everything we have to strike. The Erasers will erase his past and his future at the same time… for the grace of the Aura that guides us."


	5. Chapter 2 Fire of Friendship

Chapter 2 Fire of Friendship

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Chapter 2 Fire of Friendship

Song 02 Anakin's Dream

"He looks so peaceful when he is sleeping. Blair you are really lucky to have this guy as your boyfriend. Now that he is back maybe you two can get really close." Alexis said with a giggle following her phrases. Blair sat on the bed next to Brett who was peacefully asleep in the bed. "I'm just so glad to have him back; now once we have Jaden back maybe everything can return to normal."

Knocking broke the moment and in entered more of Brett's friends. Mrs. Fontaine was first followed by Britney, Samantha, Hasleberry, and Jesse. "How is he doing? Strangely it looks like all of his injuries are gone." Blair smiled and responded; "Yes all of his injuries are healed. He must have been exhausted from everything that happened while he was away."

Britney laughed a little to what she thought could have happened; "Well it is good to see that he is back where he belongs. Now that things are going to return to normal maybe you two can finally go on that first date. You two are so lovey-dovey; it would be nice to see you too finally have some time together without violins or some duel to end the world thing." Blair blushed at the though of a first date, but Samantha sighed breaking the happy moment. "Perhaps but I'm worried about Brett him self. It is unusual to see someone collapse like that with no reason what so ever and normally nothing stops him."

They all continued to talk for a while; when night came most left except for Blair, Alexis, and Britney. Brett tossed and turned in his sleep; thoughts and images of Jaden suffering entered his mind causing him pain. Images of a future where all of his friends suffered; all because of Brett's enemies that were after him. The thoughts were all too unbearable for him to take anymore.

Brett woke and sat up at an alarming rate; he breathed in deeply and looked around the room, and realized it was just a dream. His breathing slowly returned to normal; and he looked at where he was. He was asleep in the Blair's spacious double room; Blair was sleeping in the same bed and Brett had failed to wake her. Nearby were Britney and Alexis were still asleep; Brett clenched his hand at the thought of his dreams. Were they some sort of warning from his abilities?

He looked up at the roof and he was so confused. Was that really all just a dream; he thought about how it all felt so real and his thoughts became more obscure. Brett got up carefully and quietly and left the room. The door was shut tight and Brett slowly walked off to go think somewhere by him self. This had to be figured out soon; nothing would make his friends suffer like he had just scene.

A new beautiful day had dawned on Duel Academy, and Blair and the girls slowly woke. Blair was still dozy and put her hand were Brett was supposed to be. She wanted to make sure that him being by her was not just a dream. Her hand moved only to find air where Brett should have been. The realization of what was not there caused her to shot up and search the room.

She got up and woke Alexis and Britney with an alarming voice. "Wake up! Brett is gone!" Blair's heart was racing while she tried to figure out what had happened. Alexis quickly came to and also took in the situation; "where could he have gone? I'm sure he is fine Blair; I doubt he has gone too far."

The words fell on deaf ears, and Blair continued to panic over the thought of losing him again after she promised not to. "I do not want to lose him ever again. Please Lexi; you just have to help me find him." Alexis nodded and together they left to find Brett; leaving Britney who was still slowly waking up. Alexis was not going to lose him again either; she would get the entire school on her side if she had to.

Brett sat high above Duel Academy; perched on the rear side of the volcano; a place where nothing could disturb him. He sat there thinking about everything that had happen; then his mind began to think about everything that would happen. Brett's mind only focused in on the negative things however. "It is my fault that Jaden is gone. If he stayed behind because of me then…"

Brett paused a moment before letting out a loud a scream. "Why the hell did I go with her! Ever since I made that choice; everything has gone from bad to worse. I'm no hero; I should have stayed, but I left all my friends behind. Why can I never make the right decision! Why the hell can I never make the right choice!!"

"If I was her then maybe the outcome would have been different and Jaden would be safe. No; if I was here I could have saved him; god damn me. It is still all my fault; no matter how much power I get I'm always too weak to help the people that matter. I'm no god damn hero! I disserve to die for all that I have unleashed. Everything should have been a sign not to help Jenova but I did it anyway. What kind of god damn hero does that!" Brett finished his statements and yelled to the heavens above; not caring if anyone heard him, but gave out from a lack of oxygen.

"Well, well, well… Never thought you were that kind of fiery passionate about your friends. And for that matter I never thought you would separate from them so soon, but I should not complain. After all here you are vulnerable; I could even have killed you back there without you knowing I was there." A mysterious voice said from behind Brett with a playful sound inhabiting the words.

Brett did not even turn around to look; he made no sound and he put his head to his knees. The man behind him removed his hood; revealing his fairly long red spiky hair. "Hey come on. That is so rude to not even pay attention to the guy who is about to kill you. Guess you are just so stunned that you cannot even say anything; right? I mean I snuck up on you without you ever knowing, and yeah I am that good."

The mysterious man listened for a response but once again got nothing. He made a loud aggravated grunt and turned around. This spiky haired man was so aggravated with his opponent and the lack of a real fight, but then Brett finally spoke up. "I knew you were there; I just did not care. Right now I'm too angry at myself to care; so if you want to kill me then just do it."

Brett finished speaking and the mystery man span back around with a suspicious look in his eye. Then he lifted his arms up and made fist; looking at him like he had finally figured Brett out. "Oh I get it… You want to catch me of guard; then you will kill me. Well you are dealing with the one and only Axel. That's A, X, E, L; Axel, got it memorized?"

Axel summoned his wheel like weapons with points with sharp metal teeth around the outside. Axel readied his weapons, but stopped when Brett began to speak in an emotionless tone. "That is great, but could you please do what you came here to do. I will not stop you… I don't feel like I want to live anyways." Brett said with his head said still pressed to his knees. Axel walked closer and inspected him; "what… this is such a disappointment. I thought you were going to give me a legendary battle; this is no fun what so ever. I wonder if I even have the right guy… brown hair, torn clothes, light like powers… no you're the guy, but you're not what I was expecting…"

Song itsuwarinoyuujou

"Sorry to disappoint you Axel, but I'm really not in the mood." Brett finished his depressed statement and Axel let out a short sigh. He walked over and sat right next to Brett and let his Weapons disappear. "I must be stupid to let my guard down; no you are going to take my life and I'm going to be such a fool. For some reason though; I just cannot fight someone who has no will to. You remind me of someone for some reason, I cannot believe I'm getting this soft in my old days… common I'm not even suppose to have a heart."

Axel leaned back and relaxed; he enjoyed the warmth of the early sun on his face. Brett turned his head to take his first look at his new enemy. "So why is it so important to kill me?" Axel laughed at the question; "hey I was just hired to do the job. Think they tell me anything about why I am suppose to kill you? So why you give up on life like that…? I was actually worried that you would be with that girl forever; I could never kill you in front of her."

Brett sat up into a normal sitting position; he looked over to Axel with a puzzled look. "I thought you were an Assassin here to kill me. Why does it matter whether I'm with Blair?" Axel laughed and let out another short sigh; "well it may surprise you but I have no heart. I don't know; that sort of thing just does not sit well with me…"

"What do you mean you have no heart?" Brett asked; Axel laughed in response. "Funny I thought the Weapons were supposed to know everything. I'm a Nobody; when a person gives into the darkness they turn into a Heartless. Also they create a second creature which is an empty shell; the shell begins to act on its own and that is a Nobody. However powerful souls; become Nobodies with human like form. So that is me; but I have to say now I'm really interested with why you are depressed."

"I unleashed the Weapon of Infinity; and Jenova now has it. I unleashed chaos upon this and every other world, and it is my entire fault. Then I come back here to find out my friend has disappeared. Every choice I make brings more problems to my friends." Axel looked at Brett with a puzzled expression. "So you sold him out and left him to die? Or did you force him to go? Did you control his mind from long distance because you hate him? Because that's a pretty cool power to have…"

Only one word could come out of Brett's mouth; "No.." Axel cut him off before he could continue; "funny I thought you said it was your fault. Unless you got something else to say about how you did something? How about that Weapon thing? Are you the one using it? Probably not considering how much of a goodie-goodie you are. So how about we fight so I can complete my mission and get back to other things? I got nothing against you but I if I defeat you then I will be made human again."

Brett shook his head and looked up into the sky; "I do not want to fight you Axel. You have been such a good friend and even believed in me. I would rather be friends with you then have to fight you." Axel gave another chuckle; "that is too funny. But we are still on opposite sides of the board. See I got this mark on my arm; if I betray my side then I die instantly. So it is not like I could come to your side even if I wanted to; it would be nice though."

Axel closed his eyes; he relaxed completely till he felt something press against his chest. He opened his eyes to see Brett in front of him; his arm was firmly on his chest. "Hey what are you doing…?" Axel protested, but Brett's face was dead serious, and forcibly held Axel back. "Just relax; this will feel a little weird; at least that is what I have heard." Before Axel could say anything else his body began to glow white.

The glow faded and Axel was absolutely speechless at the sensation in his chest. Axel used his hand to feel his chest; he gasped and then moved over to his arm but the scar was gone. "I have a heart! I can't even begin to believe you did that. This is what I was promised for killing you, but I guess the question is what should I do now? Well… I think I owe you for setting me free from that fate… so I'm going to stay with you and repay you! So lets get you back to that girl friend of yours; you don't want to have one of those mad at you."

Brett turned away and looked off into the distance; "Blair, I left her alone. She is going to kill me if I go back; and when she finds out what I was thinking and how I was ready to die she will do worse…" Brett was interrupted by a tapping on his shoulder; he turned only to have Axel punch him in the stomach.

The wind was knocked from Brett's lungs, and he was gasping for air; Brett fell unconscious and fell into Axel's arms. "Sorry about that Brett; I know it is not a great way to start our friendship on my part. Do not worry about it; I'll take care of everything." Axel lifted Brett up and began to climb back up the mountain to head back to the main part of the island.

Blair and Alexis had scoured the entire school looking for Brett, but there was no trace; like he had never came back at all. They sat outside the School taking a break from searching; despite Blair's enthusiasm to continue searching. Samantha and Britney came over to them; Britney shook her head when Samantha began to speak. "We checked a lot of other places but sadly we could not find him."

Another group of Brett's friends came back from searching; Hasleberry, Jesse, Jim, Syrus, and Chazz all ran over to the smaller group. Jesse stopped and looked at Blair; "Sorry Blair but we all split up and still we could not find him anywhere. I'm sure he is fine Blair; Brett probably is not in any trouble what so ever…" Blair could not even fake a smile at this point after losing him.

"So is this the guy you are looking for about six feet tall with some kind some strange abilities? Because I found someone like that, but he has this return to here tag…" The fiery headed Axel said; everyone turned to see the new guy with Brett over his shoulder. Blair rose immediately ran over despite the others' concern. Axel set Brett down on the ground while Blair ran over; she kneeled beside him and the others ran over too. Axel looked at the young blue haired female who was actually a fair bit shorter then Brett and smiled. "He is fine, do not worry about him."

Alexis stopped in front of Axel and took a firm stance and was wary of this new man. "Who are you and what are you doing with Brett?" Axel took a step back and was a little startled; "look Brett left to protect you from me. I came to assassinate him but he left to protect all of you. Brett spared my life and now I owe him mine… so we are cool right? The names Axel by the way; got it memorized?"

Blair shook her head and squeezed Brett who was in her arms; "I'm just glad he is safe. He means so much to me, and this time you are staying with me." Brett opened his eyes and slowly came back from the state of unconsciousness. "I never wanted to leave you in the first place Blair… I'm sorry for going off… Alexis do not worry about Axel; I trust him with my life."

Alexis reluctantly gave in to Brett's sentiments and let her guard down. Everyone was way happier to see he was fine. After a few minutes Brett stood up on his own; despite Blair's concern for his strength. He breathed a sigh of relief when without warning Blair's PDA went off. Blair opened her PDA and looked at the email that was marked urgent mail. Brett looked over her shoulder and questioned what it was about.

Marcel ran over to Blair; "Blair did you get the message?" Blair looked over at Marcel and nodded; "Yes I just did Marcel. We just found Brett so it is pretty good timing." Marcel arrived at the group panting from the run; Blair looked up to Brett. "Brett we have to go to the Chancellor's office; he needs to talk to you about something."

Brett was a little hesitant considering he saw what was on the message, but he was almost trapped at this point. "I'm in no mood to see my adoptive father Blair; it is not for any reason of what happened here… but I'm not on good terms with him." A red flag went up in everyone's mind; they had no idea who Brett's father was but this was a golden opportunity to find out. Blair locked their arms together; "Brett come on. I want to meet him too; I want to know everything about you."

Brett was still reluctant, but he did not want to cause any more stress on Blair and he reluctantly agreed. Axel got excited and started to push Brett to get him moving; "wonder why Brett is so hesitant ay guys? Come on I have to see the reason for this; this is way to interesting now." Jesse laughed at Axel's remark and spoke up afterwards, and Britney chimed in to. "Yeah…! Let's all go and meet this guy; no doubt he is worried sick about his son. Besides this may explain a lot about how Brett was raised, and that is too juicy of info to pass up."

Everyone arrived and entered into the doors to the Chancellor's office. Brett took one last deep breath and entered into the room. Beside Chancellor Shepard stood Maximillion Pegasus; when everyone entered they began to look for Brett's father. The room was dead silent till Blair broke it; "umm… Brett where is your dad? I thought he was going to be here; don't tell me he ran out on you…" she asked while looking over at Brett's face which cringed.

Pegasus stepped forward with a dead serious face; he starred at Brett and Brett stared at him. Pegasus face finally broke into a smile; "well son it looks like we finally meet again. Missed your old dad did you?" Everyone's mouths fell open and they all were shocked; except for Brett and Axel.

Axel looked on with a confused expression; he side stepped over and poked Syrus. "Hey Syrus who is that guy suppose to be exactly…? Maybe I would be shocked if I knew something about him." Syrus looked over to him and began to talk in an absolutely ecstatic voice. "That is Maximillion Pegasus; he invented the game of Duel Monsters. He is only one the richest and most famous people, and every duelist knows his name."

Axel gave a little a small sound of acknowledgement; Blair poked Brett drawing his attention. "Brett; why did you never tell us about this…? It is so cool that you are Pegasus's adoptive son!" Brett looked down at his feet; "I do not want to be known as being Pegasus's son. I left to build a name on my own, and I did just that. Then I met you Blair and all of my friends; I do not regret anything about the path I chose."

Blair smiled and hugged him tightly; Pegasus walked over and began to speak again. "So this must be Blair? The one you fought so hard for in the other dimension. She is quite a beautiful young lady; and you are both lucky to have each other, but watch out my son can be temperamental around me. Of course we have our reasons, but you did not leave till you first saw this girl correct?"

Quickly upon hearing the statement; Brett's forehead twitched with anger. He was so fed up already with his father, but then Pegasus became serious. "However Brett we have leave however; we must return to my mansion and you must address the people about the other dimension battle you partook in."

Brett was still hugging Blair and he shot back a statement to Pegasus. "No dad; I will not leave my friends behind." Pegasus laughed; "you just called me dad right now! I have never been able to get him to call me that. But we must leave immediately, and as for your friends… Well the fact that you have a girlfriend is wonderful and I would rather you not leave them. So… why don't they all come too to my mansion!" Pegasus said with a joyous voice; causing everyone to get exited. "You all can come live the life of luxury!"


	6. Chapter 3 Life Of Luxury

Chapter 3 Life Of Luxury

Chapter 3 Life Of Luxury

Blair's eyes lit up about the idea of what was to come, and Britney slightly sneaked over to Blair's ear. "Hey Blair this is so perfect...! Not only did you totally have a rich guy wrapped around your finger, but you are going to have loads of time to spend with him all alone in his mansion. This is so cool!!" Blair turned her head with a clearly bright smile across her face; "Britney; stop giving Brett the wrong idea! I love him for other reasons, but yeah; I cannot wait for this!"

It was even difficult for Pegasus not to smile at every one of Brett's friends getting excited; Brett was the only person who was not truly excited. Pegasus looked at him and addressed his concern; "The fact is that everyone on this earth saw your little battle. I need you to come and back my story up; unless you want everyone on earth to panic. Most of your friends intend to return back to their homes so why not give them a relaxing vacation. You all have earned it and I will not take no for an answer!"

Everyone agreed and Brett new that Blair was looking forward to spending time together. He could not refuse her of that considering that he wanted to go to, and he reluctantly gave into the thought that he was indeed trapped. Brett agreed and Pegasus moved everyone out the door, but the Chancellor called Brett back.

It was confusing to Brett at first, but he stayed behind and Chancellor Shepard began to address Brett. "Brett I know you have been through a lot, and I know the truth about what you are. Blair and the others explained already; the reason I stopped you is because I want you to know that the fact of what you are does not change how we feel about you. Most every one at Duel Academy knows the truth now, and we have taken measures to make sure no one will ever tell a soul."

Brett nodded in appreciation and thanked the Chancellor, but before he could leave he could hear another request being uttered. "Brett one more thing; that red haired man behind you is he a friend?" Brett nodded and the Chancellor promised that he would be inducted as a student. Again Brett thanked him and left the office; he turned the corner to see Blair waiting for him.

Blair was the only one there, and she had been waiting for him and only him. She locked their arms together and began to lead Brett out side. "Brett I cannot wait; once we get there we can spend so much time together. I have been waiting to do this with you for so long; especially since the other dimension." Brett smiled and laughed a little; "once I'm done with this whole cover up I promise we will spend more time together. If anything tries to tear us apart again… No I will not let it happen. Then later I promise we will go on that first date."

It was more then Blair could bare to hear that piece of news. She could not help but become ecstatic about the idea; she had been waiting to do this with him for a while, and now it looked like her wishes were finally coming true. They exited the building to see a large helicopter waiting with everyone already on board. Brett was hesitant for a moment, but Blair just pulled him on board without even noticing Brett's hesitation, and they sat down on board in the comfortable setting.

The helicopter took off, and Brett suddenly was even quieter then normal during the flight. After a short time the helicopter landed on another small island equipped with a small airport. Everyone exited the helicopter and was led to Pegasus's private jet. Everyone got aboard and took a seat while marveling at the plane that looked top of the line.

This plane was equipped with so much that it astounded the duelists; there was more then enough room and seats for everyone. Stocked with drinks of many varieties, and so many different foods, and the duelists were amazed at the amount of space. Each seat was padded to extremes, and not an inch of this magnificent plane did not give the impression that it was for famous celebrities.

The further and further aboard Brett was pulled onto the plain; the more he fought back, but both Alexis and Blair guided him on to the plane despite his reluctance. Alexis sat on his left while Blair took the window seat to Brett's right. Pegasus, Britney, and Axel all sat across from Brett. The others found seats and settled in; the only ones who did not marvel at the plane were Brett and Chazz. The door shut and Brett closed his eyes tightly and grabbed onto the arm rests with a good portion of his strength.

Blair looked over at Brett and wondered what was wrong; he looked like he was very uncomfortable, and she could not figure out why. "Brett are you ok…?" she questioned and Pegasus let out a quiet laugh; that grew into a much grander one. "He hates flying in general; he just has never liked planes or Helicopters no matter what age he was." Chazz had been listening to this information, and spoke up from behind Brett; "wait a second. You can fly with your wings but you are scarred of flying in a plane…? Who the ehll else is like that…?"

A quick response followed Chazz's remarks by Brett in a slightly stressed voice; "I hate these death traps. It is so different when you fly by your self. I hate flying in these things no matter how safe they are!" Blair was surprised to see that he was so afraid; Always he was so strong, but no he just was not. She grabbed Brett's hand and he loosened his grip so not to hurt Blair; even despite the overwhelming nervous feelings. "Do not worry Brett I'm right here ok?" Blair asked him and he seemed to lose tension, and even relax.

Chazz spoke up in regards to the to Blair's statements. "Where are the barf bags because I think I'm going to be sick? Slacker love is making me ill..." Chazz finished with a laugh but was silenced when Blair got out of her seat and hit him on the back of his head. Alexis also gave her hand to Brett who still had his eyes shut; he took it without any second thought and loosened up slightly more, but still squeezed her hand.

Everyone one did up their seatbelts and the plane began to taxi down the runway. Each rumple and sound testing Brett's fortitude, and Blair returned her hand to Brett. The plane started down the runway; the plane gained speed and Brett tightened his grip, but not enough to hurt the girls. The plane slowly rose higher and higher till it reached a safe altitude. The seatbelt signs went off and every got up out of their chairs to stretch and explore the plane.

Blair and Alexis slowly coaxed Brett up with reassuring comments; the stability of the plain also easing Brett's fears of flying. Britney got in close and helped him slowly up; all three girls led Brett into the open areas of the plane and slowly his confidence grew. Then plane hit a sudden bump in turbulence; causing the plane to drop about a thousand feet in a second. Brett dropped to his knees; his confidence instantly gone with no chance of it coming back soon. He put his hand over his head; wishing for this plane ride to be over immediately.

All three girls giggled and commented to the other; on how cute it was that Brett was afraid. The girls huddled around him and all three hugged him trying to comfort him. Chazz shook his fist and got really angry; "Why does he always get the girls…? Come on he is afraid of flying; who is that cute…? Girls are suppose to like the Chazz; not some hero who turns into a wimp!"

The girls ignored Chazz, and Jesse walked up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry there pal, but when it comes to women Brett seams to be the king at pull-in stuff like this off. I do not think I have not seen a lady yet that has not been close to Brett; wonder why that is…" Jim walked over sipping from the drink he had obtained. "That Brett is one smooth mate when it comes to ladies. Lucky guy; maybe I should ask him for some pointers; after all he won Blair over like it was nothing… course he did fight some nasty guys."

Syrus walked over and poked Chazz; "do not worry Chazz; one day we will find a girl that can even stand you!" Chazz hit Syrus on the head with little concern for the amount of force, and Syrus reeled in pain. Everyone else laughed at the joke that was made and Chazz went back and sat down. "Why did I even come on this vacation with you slackers?"

"My son, you sure like to keep interesting company… I cannot believe how many you have made though; this is truly wonderful!" Pegasus laughed and went back to his seat. Samantha stood off in the distance and watched silently, but soon Jesse looked over to her and snapped her back to reality. "Hey Samantha you been acting real strange lately. I mean you been even quieter then usual; and you have been keeping an awfully close eye on Brett. Something on your mind…?"

Samantha closed her eyes and shook her head; "I'm sure it is nothing to you. But ever since Brett collapsed after the day he came back; I have been keeping a close eye on him. It did not even show any signs of fatigue before that; it does not make sense. I just am very worried about him; someone should take care of him. No one else here seems to be worried about him…"

Jesse backed off a bit and Jim stepped up to her; "that's funny, for a second there I thought you were implying something. Brett is just fine and if there is a problem then we shall deal with it when it presents itself. Blair can look after Brett just fine; it's nice that you are concerned but you sound a little jealous. That would be a shame since we like you; you just leave Brett to Blair, and everything will workout."

Samantha turned and walked away with a smug look across her face. Jesse and Jim looked to each other, but could not accuse her of anything yet. The rest of the flight was filled with some conversation. Soon they landed at an airport and the group split into two groups. Pegasus and Brett left in a long luxurious car; while the rest of the group was to take a helicopter back to Pegasus's private island.

They arrived at the island and were taken directly to the mansion where they were met by bodyguards of Pegasus. "Welcome to the estate of master Pegasus. You are all free to do as you please. Use any facilities on the island and enjoy your selves; compliments of Master Pegasus. If you need any assistance during your stay; please feel free to ask."

Most of the group split up and took their time to explore the mansion. Blair, Alexis, and Britney headed off in a different direction as a group; leaving the others to do as the y please. Blair stopped when she saw a body guard; she knew exactly what she wanted to do. "Umm… Excuse me but where is Brett's room?" The man in the black suit pointed down the hall before responding. "Master Brett's room is ten doors down the hall. Master Brett has not been in that room for quite some time however."

Blair thanked him and began to walk down the hall; she walked a few steps before feeling a hand pull her back. Alexis pulled her back and leaned over to whisper in her ear; "come on Blair; let's enjoy their hospitality. There is plenty of time to rummage through Brett's room later, and we can learn all about him. But for now why don't you have a relaxing shower. I mean how many times will you get a real shower in a mansion?"

The more Blair thought about it; she would rather see what Brett's room was like. Britney laughed; "let's take advantage of this place; not like you won't get to spend lots of time here. Still we will all get pampered; how many times you get a royal treatment. You have earned this too Blair; so come on. I promise later we will all see Brett's room. First where are the showers?" The body guard led them down the hall; stopping after a few minutes. "Here is the first one; everything you will need is inside. The next two are a few doors down. After you are done please find the nearest person and they will escort you to what ever you want to do next."

The thought of enjoying her self had not crossed Blair's mind. Britney sighed; "think of it this way Blair. You get all cleaned up and Brett will want to spend that much more time with you. Every boy loves a prettied up maiden; and you are so stressed so go relax. Then later we will so go snooping in Brett's room. I sure hope I can find something to use on him later." Blair laughed and then ran into the shower and shut the door.

After running in and shutting the door; Blair went straight to work, and Alexis and Britney laughed. "That girl is really in love; she has a one track mind when it comes to anything. I would be worried if Brett was a bad guy, but he isn't. Well if you excuse me Lexi; I'm going to go enjoy my self. Courtesy of Brett; I can't believe even I did not know who he was." Britney ran off and Alexis went to the other shower so she could clean up.

Meanwhile far away in Domino City; Brett and Pegasus were traveling upwards in an elevator. "I know you love this whole me calling you dad thing, but why must we go see this guy? Do we really need his help..? And for the record the only reason I'm being so nice is because my friends are around. I still have not forgiven you for what you did…"

His father just laughed and they exited out the elevator; despite how much Pegasus wanted to explain about that incident. Together they traveled down the hall, and the receptionist told them to enter and that they were expected. They entered the room and a familiar voice began to speak. "It's about time you got here Pegasus; it is not a good idea to keep me waiting." Pegasus smiled and talked in a condescending voice; "Oh Kaiba-boy; still soar about my son beating you in that duel? Or maybe you are still mad about that Duelist Kingdom or upset over little Yugi?"

"Don't be so narrow minded Pegasus; I simply do not like you. Everything is a joke to you, and do not get me started on your adopted wash out son." Pegasus could not hold back his laughter and let lose, but eventually calmed down to reply. "Funny I though you would like him considering how much you to are a like." Brett coughed in an attempt to grab the others attention; "look can we just finish this. I would rather get back to my friends; I'm just not in the mood for all this. Besides Kaiba; you forget that I dislike you more."

"So Brett you actually got some friends… How much did you have to pay them?" Kaiba asked and Brett became enraged. Pegasus broke the coming fight; Kaiba however had lost interest in antagonizing Brett any further. "One day maybe you may have the courage to challenge me; course you would only lose. For now let us all just finish this; Brett get changed into the presentable outfit. Go down the hall and change because there is no way I will be seen with you and those torn clothes. This is important; not some joke."

Before Brett could protest, Kaiba's secretary came in and led Brett down the hall. "I cannot believe that I'm bailing your adoptive son out Pegasus." Pegasus laughed; "well Kaiba we cannot let people know about anything that happened. It could cause a panic and we could all kinds of trouble; imagine what it would do for publicity."

Immediately Kaiba slammed a hand to his desk; the rage completely in control of his actions and words. "That's enough Pegasus; the only reason I'm doing this is for the publicity. Do not forget you will fund research into making it into a possibility as a way to repay me. You and Yugi still believe in that kind of stuff but I do not; so let us do this press conference and end this."

Blair exited the bathroom cleaned and ready to go snooping around for anything; after all her boyfriend was reluctant to share too many details. She began to walk to Brett's room when Britney grabbed her arm. "Come on Blair; me you and Alexis are going to get messages, and then we are going to get you ready for Brett. So come on!" Britney pulled Blair down the hallway and towards the masseuse; it was exciting, but Blair was more interested in other things.

Alexis stood there with nothing but a towel covering her body. Blair was nervous about taking off all her clothes, but eventually Britney pressured her into doing it. The three female masseuses got the three duelists to lay down. When the masseuse began to work on Blair; all her doubts quickly disappeared and she moaned from the sensation. "Oh wow…! That feels so good; I wonder if Brett would learn to do this for me..."

Britney and Alexis laughed despite how good their masseuses were; "Hey Alexis. Looks like Blair finally starting to unwind; even if she is focused on her guy. This is so good; I hope Brett is doing as good as we are, or I might start to feel real guilty for enjoying this. Maybe not so much after this though!"

Brett and the two older men had just finished the press conference. It had gone worse then Brett thought it could have possibly gone. Brett had publicly admitted to being Pegasus's adoptive son which was a first, and a crushing blow after how hard he had worked to conceal it. Also Brett had been furiously questioned and was stressed beyond belief. Kaiba went to leave and Pegasus thank him for his aid in the elaborate cover up. "Oh Kaiba; thank you ever so much for your aid." Kaiba continued to walk forward. "Stow it; just remember our deal and never bother me again with your problems."

Pegasus sighed; "that Kaiba never changes. Well come on let's get home so you can see your friends. You will all surely want to spend time, and I have a wonderful feast for all of you planned." Brett looked down at his feet sheepishly before he said something he knew he would later regret; "thank you dad. I know I have not been the closest son, but thank you for doing all of this for me." Pegasus laughed and began to led Brett down the hall; "do not worry about it. This is what family is for..."

It was starting to get late, and Blair and the two other girls had gotten dressed and were traveling down the hall. Alexis looked at Blair and had to ask a question. "So was that a good idea right?" Blair nodded her head; she felt so much more relaxed then before.

Suddenly; Alexis and Britney pulled her into the bathroom and combed her hair and put on a small amount of make up. "There you go! Now you are ready to knock him dead; I did not want to put on too much make up because you look better without any. Brett will be stunned by you; you look so well groomed! Not like he will notice…"

Blair blushed at the thought; Britney then pulled her a long till the got to Brett's room. Alexis giggled and opened the door; "finally we get to see it." They opened the door to see an enormous room. There was a huge bed and a TV that easily eclipsed even the bed. They opened the closet to see a massive closet that was bigger then Blair's dorm room.

The girls rummaged through the closet and found a new outfit for Brett. "He should look good in this." Blair stated while the other two girls agreed; but Blair knew what she was going to have to do. They explored more of the room; then Britney found something that made her gasp. "Look at this! Brett is a championship tennis player; he even has awards for swimming, and to a lesser surprise fencing." Blair came over and marveled at the awards; it was something that none of them knew.

The girls explored for a while then sat down on the bed. Britney made a loud clap before opening her mouth; "well one place left to snoop." Britney dropped down and put her hand under the bed. She found something and grabbed it; she brought it up and looked at the cover. The item was a plain binder, and inside were pictures of Blair from the end of last years Gen X tournament. "Oh my god; look at this he really does have a thing for you;. Way to get the rich guy Blair…"

Then Britney put back the binder; so not to arouse suspicion. Still she stood up and sighed, and after moments decided to share her feelings of disappointment. "You all this searching, and nothing that tells us why Brett hates his dad… I was really wondering what could make him hate someone as nice as Pegasus."

Alexis stood up, and was more then intrigued at the mystery. "Well I don't think Brett has ever told anyone why that is; no one ever knew that Brett was Pegasus's adoptive son. Did Brett ever tell you anything Blair..?" Despite the fact that Brett was in love with Blair; he had not. Blair was really concerned with what could have happened, but nothing she could think of was bad enough to disserve this.

Then Brett came through the door; in his new black business suit with a red tie that he had worn to the conference. He had his eyes closed and sighed; when he opened them he saw Alexis and Britney standing in front of the bed. They were more then nervous to be caught, and Britney decided to quickly distract Brett. "Oh Brett look who got all cleaned up you; I think she did it just for you too."

Brett gasped when the two girls stepped aside and his eyes saw Blair. She was in the same clothes but she looked like she had put a lot of effort into getting ready for him. It did not matter to Brett; he always thought Blair was beautiful. Blair ran over and gave him a big hug around hid upper mid section, while Britney put the binder under the bed. Alexis marveled at Brett's new look; "wow Brett you really clean up nice."

Despite the compliment; he looked down despite that he was hugging Blair back; he blushed and Blair saw him and laughed. She ran over and grabbed the new outfit; "here we picked this out for you. Go put it on!" Blair told Brett and he looked at what was to be his new look, and went into the closet and changed. He came out wearing a new pair of jeans with a grey t-shirt and a black vest over top with red trimming.

All the girls applauded Brett's new look and Blair went over and gave him another big hug. Brett did the same but Blair soon pulled away and looked into Brett's eyes. "It will do for now but I'm going to take you shopping later to get a better wardrobe. You must be starving after how hard you worked today!" The other girls laughed and all three escorted Brett to supper, but only Blair walked right beside Brett with their arms locked together.

All four of them arrived at the dinning hall; everyone else had arrived and was chatting amongst the group. Blair and Brett sat together while Alexis sat on Brett's opposite side, and Britney sat next to Alexis. Axel turned and saw Brett, and immediately commented on the new look. "Hey Brett you finally changed your look; about time you finally did. This place is actually pretty amazing; even for a guy like me; got to thank you for this one..."

"No Axel you should not be thanking me, but my father. He is the one who has graciously aloud all of us to come here and use these facilities." Brett finished his statement and heard his father laugh; "your friends are welcome here any time my son. Unfortunately you all must leave the day after tomorrow, but if you ever need a favor you can always ask from me."

Blair was first to stand up and held her glass up boasting a toast to their gracious host; trying to follow Brett's proper lead. Everyone else held their glass up and toasted Pegasus and his kindness. Then when the toast had finished they began to dig in to the banquet before them. Every kind of food imaginable was in front of them; everyone feasted and after an hour of choosing from main courses and deserts they were all full.

"Well I hope you all enjoyed the dinner, but now let us all go my private theater and we shall all take in a movie." Pegasus got everyone excited but Chazz broke the excitement; "actually I had a different idea for entertainment. Brett I let it go earlier but I would like to duel you after you humiliated me last year."

No one truly knew what Chazz was taking about till Chazz continued. "You never told any of them; fine then I will! After I beat Blair in that duel tournament at Duel Academy you challenged me in front of my fans afterwards. You made me look like a complete fool, and I think it should be my turn to do the same to you. You even claimed that you did it for that runt of a slacker."

Blair gasped and turned to Brett; wondering what had really happened. This was news to her, and Brett decided it was best to explain; "yeah I remember now. After the way you beat her with those worthless Ojama's; I got angry and wiped the floor with you. I do not really care about any of that now but nobody calls my girlfriend a runt or a slacker. I did it for Blair then, and I will do for her now!"


	7. Chapter 4 Luxury Dueling

Chapter 4 Luxury Dueling

Chapter 4 Luxury Dueling

The group followed Pegasus to the duel field; it was the same one where Pegasus had fought Yugi during the Duelist Kingdom so many years ago. Blair and Brett were on one side while Chazz was on the other; Blair looked up at Brett and asked Brett something. "Brett did you really beat him for me?"

"Yes I did; you know that I liked you back then and I hated the way he humiliated you. Besides now that were together your battles are my battles and he will never insult both of us again. I will beat him quick so we can still go see that movie together; then when we get back to Duel Academy I promise to take you on a real first date."

Blair grabbed Brett's hand and squeezed it tightly; her eyes watered and glistened in the light. "HEY! Do not forget we are about to duel here! Slacker love is so gross any ways." Brett turned and looked at Chazz; Blair handed Brett his deck and she left up to the observatory deck. "Chazz when I win you are never aloud to call us slackers again. Also you are never to bug me or Blair about anything related to us being together; got it!"

"Fine but if I win not only are you two slackers forever, but you have to apologize to me for humiliating me to my fans. Also you are going to lose in a duel, and every time we duel against one another." Brett agreed, and they both set their decks and readied for the duel.

Blair arrived at the observatory ledge and she leaned over and began chanting for Brett's victory. Soon Alexis joined in, and everyone else started to chant for Brett. "Hey; is nobody going to cheer for me?" Chazz said while shouting but received no answer. Pegasus laughed; "sorry but it looks like your fans are not here to support you; even I would rather cheer for my son."

"This time will be different; no slacker is going to beat me again! I'm going first!" Chazz yelled and Brett's expression turned serious. Brett agreed and they both drew their first five cards; "ready to lose slacker? Cause you cannot beat the one and only Chazz Princeton! So let's Chazz it up!! I summon my X head cannon and lay a trap card face down. Deal with that slacker."

"Stop calling me that; I beat you before and I will beat you now too! I play Snatch and Steal; now I take your X head cannon. Next I will sacrifice it to bring forth my Horus the Black Frame Dragon LV6. Now attack, and silence that tongue of his!" Brett commanded; Chazz laughed and spoke up destroying Brett's enthusiasm. "Slacker mistake; I now activate my Raigeki break, so now your monster goes to the grave so long as I part with a single monster."

Brett ended his turn with nothing else behind that he could do, and Chazz drew another card; the two rivals staring each other down. "I summon my Z Metal Tank, and he is going to really hurt you with a direct attack; right after I add my 7 Completed to give him another seven hundred points!" The tank revved its engines and traveled forward; it ran right into Brett before backing up; effectively lowering Brett's life points to eighteen hundred. "How'd you like that? Not much of a challenge so far; you simply can't do anything without that card of yours. Then again you never earned my respect, and you should just quit before I finish you off to! You are just as pathetic as that girlfriend of yours too, and she is so young; you two look just wrong together!"

"That was the wrong thing to say Chazz." The next turn started and Brett drew his next card; "I summon my Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 4 and attack your monster." The small creature flew up into the air; it then flew down. The small dragon smashed through the metal tank and it exploded taking a hundred life points from Chazz. "Now I end my turn and you know what that means! My creature levels up, and you have a big problem to deal with."

The dragon's body expanded and evolved into its level six form. Chazz took the opportunity and drew his next card. "Don't get to comfortable; because you have not one yet, and you will not get a break. I activate my Premature Burial card. So now I revive my X Head Cannon and combine it with my Z-Metal Tank can to form my XZ Tank Cannon and I think I will just have to crush that card a second time."

The huge creature fired its cannons and took another hundred life points forcefully from Brett. Everyone cheering for Brett gasped and Hasleberry was the first to comment; "Brett is getting beaten pretty bad out there… hold in there soldier, and teach this guy some respect." Blair poked him; "do not count Brett out yet; he will win." Axel laughed; "you all are so serious about this game. I may have to learn if I'm going to stay here… course I'm pretty confused right now"

Brett drew a new card and smiled despite his desperate situation. "I place one monster face down and also throw four trap cards. That ends my turn." Chazz laughed and drew his next card; "I activate my monsters special effect. I discard a card and I get to destroy one face down trap card, and I will choose that one. Hope you don't need it…" Brett laughed in response and activated the trap; "nope… I'm good because I activate it! My Jar of Greed activates; giving me another card, and you wasted your time Chazz."

"Fine then; I will just end this duel right now!" The massive machine was signaled to attack, but Brett was ready this time. "Stop I activate my Raigeki Break; don't tell me you did not see this coming… so by discarding a card your monster is destroyed." Chazz scowled and ended his turn; Brett drew a card and set it in his spell or trap zone. "Now I flip summon my Morphing Jar so we both get entirely new hands."

Brett looked at his new set of cards then starred his opponent down. "Stop starring at me and duel." Brett continued to scan his opponent taking all of the details; "I was just studying you as you drew your cards. I 'm not about to lose Chazz, and I'm not some reject either; so get ready for this!"

Brett activated a face down spell card; the effects of the Pot of Greed activated. He drew two cards and then moved into the next phase of his plan. "Now I activate my Graceful Charity and draw three cards and then discard two." The moment Brett did this; two dandelion tokens appeared on his side of the field. "Where did you get those…?" questioned Chazz. furiously

"You mean the great Chazz does not know this card; when Dandylion goes to the grave by what ever means. You get to summon two tokens; now I will use those tokens so that I can summon my new card; my Dragonic Knight. Next I will activate my Rain of Mercy so we both get a thousand Life Points. Next I activate the Double Summon spell; so that now I can also summon my Spirit Ryu! Now I have had enough of this; I'm not some flunk Chazz, and I will prove that!"

The Dragonic Knight attacked with a massive lunge with its sword; the furious swipe took twenty eight hundred life points away from Chazz. Now he stood there with only eleven hundred points, and Brett was not done. Brett followed with an attack from his Morphing Jar; taking another five hundred life points from Chazz. Blair and everyone cheered for Brett to win this, and Brett signaled his last monster to attack. Chazz looked up and then shouted to Brett; "not so fast! I activate my shrink magic card; looks like you will not finish me this turn!"

Brett ended his turn with no hesitation what so ever; he had evened the score, and now it was going to be an easy task finishing his opponent. "Now I hope you are ready for this; I activate my Lightning Vortex so all of your monsters are destroyed. Next I will summon another X Head Cannon and this time you will lose! It's just to bad I could not humiliate you in a worse way!" The monster charged and fired its cannons at Brett; Blair watched not blinking; knowing Brett would still win for her.

Brett stood there with his counter still above zero; he had seven hundred life points remaining and Chazz furiously questioned him. "Well Chazz you did it to me; so I thought I would return the favor. You see I activated my Shrink magic card; so I only took half the damage which was sadly not enough for you to finish me." Chazz was getting angrier then ever and Chazz threw down one last trap card and ended his turn.

"Chazz I can now easily say that I will win; you put up a good fight, but I do not want you calling either me or my girlfriend a slacker. Blair does not need this kind of garbage from you Chazz and neither do I. If you do not like me or her then keep it to yourself. Now I draw my next card and I will activate my Pot of Avarice. So I put five monsters back into my deck, shuffle, and draw two more cards."

The two cards Brett drew caused him to smile; "I'm tired of people picking on Blair, and you have not earned respect from me Chazz. You see I put a card in my deck that reminds me of Blair, and I swore not to use it in battle till Blair was my girlfriend. Now is the time, but first I will ensure her safety; you now have a zero percent chance of winning Chazz."

Blair was enthralled that Brett had done that for her; she felt like she was fighting along side him now, Brett activated his Mystical Space Typhoon which destroyed Chazz's face down Mirror Force. Brett then summoned his never before seen card that reminded him of Blair; the Familiar-Possesses-Eria. Everyone got the idea of why Brett had this card; to some extent she looked exactly like Blair.

With the last addition of the Axe of despair; Brett commanded his monster to attack; the resulting damage would finish the duel. Despite anything Chazz had now; it was not enough. He could not believe that he had lost, but then again maybe it was for the best.

The Blair like duel monster attacked; the resulting damage finished the duel and Chazz dropped to his knees. Blair ran down to meet Brett; "there Chazz I won so know you have to honor our agreement. Understood?" Chazz got up and looked at Brett; "fine, but this does not mean that I like you." Brett rubbed the back of his head; his friends chanted and whistled, praising Brett for his victory.

Blair ran down the walkway and jumped into Brett's arm; "you won Brett. It means so much that you were fighting for me; thank you." Brett hugged her before beginning to respond; "like I said Blair no one is going to insult you ever again; not as long as I'm with you. I hope you do not mind that I said those things about that duel monster looking like you… not that you are like a monster to me…" Brett set Blair down and she shook her head, but giggled at his last statement.

"That was an excellent duel son; and it is still early in the evening so we can all go see that movie in my own private theater!" Everyone got exited and they all made there way including Chazz down to the Theater. Axel slowed down and waited for Brett and Blair; "hey Brett that is an interesting game you got here. You will have to teach me how to play sometime." Brett nodded and Blair laughed while they continued to the theater.

The movie was a comedy; seeing how it was Pegasus's favorite genre. The theater was huge despite the size of the mansion; to big even for a single person. Everyone sat down in a group with a few people being separate. Blair and Brett sat together and Blair rested her head on Brett's shoulder; both were enjoying the company far more then the movie.

The movie ended and everyone separated to go to their own private rooms; Pegasus's mansion had far more rooms for everyone to enjoy a private one. Everyone got their own room and settled in; Blair was about to head to her room when she heard a voice from behind her. "Blair where are you going; I thought you would want to sleep in my room with me. I kind of got use to it I guess… well that is if you want to of course…"

Blair blushed a bright red; "well it is just that my hair gets all messy and I'm not the prettiest after a long sleep and you do not want to see me like that. Before I did it really taking advantage that you were unconscious or hurt so you probably could not tell." Brett shook his head; "you know I really enjoyed you being there, and I will always enjoy sleeping beside you. I really want you to sleep in my room beside me Blair; it does not matter if you are messy in the morning because… well I love you. You are always beautiful to me."

The compliment caught Blair off guard and she blushed more then she ever had. Her eyes watered and her big teary puppy dog eyes caused Brett to smile. "Brett that was so beautiful and touching!" She blinked causing tears to run down her face but when she opened them she had a huge smile across her face. She ran over and hugged Brett; he led her into his room and soon they were asleep.

Everyone was sleeping very peacefully and Brett and Blair were snuggled as close as possible. The beds felt like sleeping on clouds and no one could thing of a single complaint. Blair had never had such a happy day in her life but tomorrow she would try to top it. Brett had been so wonderful and she hoped this would last forever. Syrus woke up when he thought about Jaden; "Jaden I hope you are ok; being here without you does not seem right."


	8. Chapter 5 Relax

Chapter 5 Relax

Chapter 5 Relax

Blair woke up in the morning and lifted her self up; her hair was messy and tangled but she was not worried about it. After Brett had told her how he felt she was a little more comfortable being natural around him. She trusted Brett with her life and she fell back into her bed; her mind thought about her future with him. She knew that if it was anything like this then they would have a wonderful future.

Her hand moved over to find Brett so she could bask in the morning glow beside him and feel the comfort he provided the young girl. Her hand could feel nothing though, and she panicked. She shot up and looked around the room but could not see him. "No! Where did he go? Common; all I want is him to have him back, and he always disappears on me..."

Just then the door opened before Blair could panic any further, and Brett walked in carrying a large bed tray with breakfast on it. Blair was relieved when she saw him, and Brett watched her breathe a sigh of relief and could tell she needed and explanation "Sorry Blair I was hoping to get back before you woke up; I never wanted you to get nervous. I just wanted to get us breakfast for both of us; you looked so peaceful so I did not want you to leave, so that left me bringing it to you." Blair was excited and smiling at her boyfriend, and was incredibly enjoying how thoughtful Brett was.

She sat up and Brett walked over and sat beside her; the tray was big but it had no middle part so Blair could snuggle up to Brett. Brett smiled when he felt her snuggle up beside him; she looked over the large breakfast and the choices were astounding. The Breakfast was full of so many things that Blair could not wait to eat, but before she could even dig in Brett began to speak. "I hope you like what I picked for you; I know that you like sweet things so I tired to find everything sweet so you would enjoy it."

Blair leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, and Brett still found after all this time that such a simple gesture could turn him beat red. "I doubt it will be as sweet as you have been. I'm really glad I ended up with you; today I promise today I will help you relax. You know you scared me, but your heart always seems to know just how to make it better."

Brett smiled and they stated to eat; Blair could not believe that he had picked up on that she loved sweet things. It might have been a slight mention on her part, but Brett turned on his large TV and gave the remote to Blair; Brett told her that she could pick what ever she wanted and she giggled and circled through the channels. It was just nice for him to be trying so hard, and Blair could tell how important she was to him.

Looking over at him out of the corner of her eye; Blair watched him smiling and leaning back. Blair was really in love, and she could tell this relationship was perfect. She remembered friends always telling her there was no perfect relationship, but they had to be wrong. Brett always did all he could for her, and Blair knew this could last, and she would fight for her relationship.

Hours quickly passed and they ate most of their food; a body guard came in and took the tray away so Blair. Blair got even closer and they lay down together; she could no longer hold back how she felt. "Brett you have been so absolutely wonderful to me. I cannot believe the double chocolate waffles with the syrup; they were so good. I would like to get up and do some things, but it is feels great just to be laying down here with you."

Brett looked into her eyes and smiled; "so let's just lay here for a bit longer; I don't see a point to getting up when we are perfectly happy here. Glad you enjoyed those; I actually made those waffles myself just for you. That is why I was gone so long; I'm not that good of a cook." Blair pulled her self tight, and Brett became embarrassed when he heard what she said next. "Brett you are so talented at cooking; could you please show me how to cook so well? Also if you want you could teach me how to play Tennis since you like it so much; I would love to play it with you. I just want us to show people that love is still real; not just a fantasy…"

Brett nodded and smiled and together they knew their future was going to be happy so long as they had each other. It was getting close to noon and they both got up so they could head off to do things together. Brett went off to go get changed; Blair went to the closest bathroom but was cut off by Britney; who was a buzz with curiosity.

"So how was it; we never saw you two at breakfast. So what amazing thing did he do this time…?" Britney asked with a very suggestive voice. Blair's eyes got all cloudy and she put her hands together and brought them up to her mouth, and her eyes sparkled with light as she spoke. "It was so wonderful; he complemented me and wants me to do everything with him. He said I was always beautiful to him and he even cooked for me. He invited me to sleep with him and it was the best night of my life."

Britney sighed; she was sounded so disappointed in her sigh. "I need to find somebody that great... wonder if I will. Oh well glad to hear you have been having a great time with him. So he is a keeper?" Blair nodded immediately without any thought of hesitation. "You see why I wanted him? But he is your boyfriend now so… Hurry up and get changed and enjoy your day with him." Blair nodded and entered the bathroom to get ready; leaving Britney to head off and do her own thing.

Axel was off taking a stroll; he was still wearing the exact same thing he had worn since Brett befriended him. He was enjoying his stroll by him self; it was giving him time to think. He had already made up his mind that he was going to stay with Brett and his friends; returning to his group looking to be the worst decision. He wondered what was going to happen when the others came though.

"Axel? What are you doing here?" Axel jumped back and searched for the source of the voice but could find no one. Then a cloaked individual dropped down from the sky; he carried two key shaped weapons and Axel already knew who it was. The much shorter individual removed his hood; revealing his spiky dirty blond hair.

"Hey Roxas, how are you?" Axel said in a friendly voice, and Roxas looked swung one his blades through the air; "Axel what are you doing you? You are supposed to be on our side; why have not killed him yet? Xemnas is starting to believe that you are a traitor; so stop fooling around and finish the job." Roxas spoke with a snappy attitude, and then something clicked in Axel's mind. "Oh yeah!! Listen Roxas; this guy has the ability to heal us. I finally have a heart, and I'm not tied to Balance; he can be free and leave all that behind!"

No enthusiasm came from Roxas however in response to his friends delight; "forget that why have you not completed your mission? You will be branded a traitor if you do not kill him; so what is your choice?" Roxas's voice had no respect for Axel; Axel looked down at his feet. "I know it was my mission, but this Brett guy does not have to be our enemy. He can free us; he is a good guy and he has what we all want… I don't want to play dirty; not after this guy has done nothing but good things for me. I won't kill him…!"

"Axel I think becoming a human has made you soft. I will give you one last chance since we were friends, but you better make the right decision." Axel looked up with shook across his face; how could his friend say that. "Do not make me choose between you two; Brett has earned my trust. I will stay by him after all he has done for me; I thought you wanted to be human? Forget about the organization and stay here; we don't have to be part of this anymore and..."

"I was sent here to kill you if you would not join us; I knew there was no way you would honestly betray the organization, but I guess this guy is more important to you. The next time I see you; we are not going to be friends; so remember your choice Axel." Roxas disappeared into a portal of black energy; leaving his once friend behind. "Roxas; what happened to you? I don't want to fight you, but I just cannot turn on my new friends either. This is not going to be good at all…"

Blair and Brett walked down a path down Pegasus's island. The island had lots of docile plant and animal life; the birds chirped and made the walk so much more pleasant. Neither of them did much talking, but it mattered little. The company was all they needed; Blair had many things that she wanted to do, but this seemed like a good way to get Brett to slow down. Brett thought that if life could stay like this then everything would be perfect, but deep down he still knew about what was to come.

The two continued to walk down the path; unaware of what was watching them. Samantha watched them disappear from her sight. "Damn her; I did not travel over a billion light years for him; just to see this little girl get him. I'm running out of time and I will have him. I can save him, but only if I'm with him. My father will… No that is why I must make him fall in love with me. So long I have watched him and done nothing, but he will be mine, and I will protect him. He is a god, and he disserves a princess. No matter what; time is running out for both of us!"

Eventually the two young Lovers made it back to the mansion where they met with Britney, Alexis, Chazz, and Hasleberry all sunbathing outside near the pool. They all sat around the huge outdoor pool and lay in the sun; except for Britney who had emerged dripping wet from the pool in a small skimpy bikini. Most of the guys took immediate notice, and Blair poked Brett thinking he might be watching, but he said something she did not expect. "You would look great in that…"

Deep down Blair got over excited, and thought it was the best possible answer, and she loved that he thought a sixteen year old models body was the same as hers. She was lost in the happy though, and did not notice anything till Brett pulled her over to a long beach chair to sit. Blair lay right beside him, and Brett took as little space as possible so Blair could have lots of room; her arm lay across his chest, and she was in paradise with him.

Together they relaxed and conversed with one another, and even Chazz despite his love for Alexis found Britney very sexy. The young girl with a models body looked at the two free guys for a moment. Britney decided on giving the privilege to Hasleberry, and she sat down and cuddled right up to Hasleberry. The beautiful model slash pop star made Hasleberry start to sweat, and he had to distract himself. "Soldier this mansion is the best thing ever! But where's that Syrus; I have not seen him all day? Hope the little guy is alright…"

Brett's eyes slowly opened; "I think he is still pretty bummed about Jaden. The truth is I'm still the same way; after what you all told me... He went through a lot, but I just could help. He must have beat himself up quite a bit; I wish I could have been there with you guys. After that other dimension; I swear I'm never leaving Blair alone again. The only thing making this better right now is Blair at my side…"

"Still I kind of feel bad to be relaxing while he is out there…" Blair continued to lay down with her eyes closed, and she liked what Brett said about protecting her, but last thing made her get a little angry at him. She quickly put a single finger in front of Brett's mouth. He immediately knew to stop, but Alexis continued. "I know you feel bad about it, but Jaden will be fine. Just wait he will be back with all of us soon enough; the year is almost over for most of us; he will be fine… Jaden always comes back alright."

Even Alexis had a hard time swallowing that. No one had any idea what had become of him. Britney watched everyone become depressed over the idea; then she came up with a fun idea for all of them. "I know let's all go bowling!" Everyone looked at Britney who was smiling from ear to ear; there looks did not really inspire confidence in her idea. "What? Bowling is fun! Come on; how many times do we all get to go bowling. We will even do teams of two; come on please for me."

Chazz jumped up and chose Alexis before anyone even agreed; she sighed and waited for someone else to object, but no one did. Blair had her arms around Brett; with her eyes still shut she squeezed Brett's chest. "Well you all know who my partner will be; like I said I'm going to be with Blair all the time from now on." Alexis sighed and hoped Britney would save her, but again she was denied; "I think I will go with Hasleberry; he looks like he will nock all the pins down with those muscles. So how about it; you are lucky enough to get the bombshell; so lets get moving, and I might even stay dressed like this for you dino boy!"

A sigh came from Alexis; Chazz was ecstatic that he got to bowl with, and he would prove himself for her. Hasleberry was still blushing from the comment from the young pop star, and she was leading him around pretty easily with no resistance what so ever. She flipped her hair and all six people went to the bowling alley.

They arrived and changed into their pairs of bowling shoes; Britney stayed in her bathing suit thinking it would give her an edge. Brett only had eyes for Blair, and helped her with everything, and Britney was feeling a little competitive since Brett was proving to be Blair's perfect match. The scoreboards set for their ten pin bowling game; "ok so each team will go at the same time. So for instance I will bowl my frame, and then Hasleberry will follow and so on like that. So everybody knows the rules right?"

Everyone nodded and the game started, and Britney was ready to go; "so since I'm the one that came up with the idea; I get to go first." Britney stepped up and grabbed a bright blue bowling ball; bending over and catching the guys' attention except for Brett who stroked Blair's hand. To everyone's surprise she had no trouble lifting the ball; she raised her arm and sent the ball flying down the alley. The ball curved slightly and knocked down all the pins earning her a strike in her first frame. She turned and looked at the others with a small smile, and put her hand to her face in a cute fashion; "sorry did I forget to say I bowl at a professional level?"

Every one was dumbfounded; she sat down and then pushed Hasleberry up, and gave him and encouraging soft stroke to his arm. The large duelist threw his first ball which went right in the gutter. Hasleberry growled and was ready to lose it; he grabbed another ball; he threw it but the ball met the same fate and landed in the gutter. Hasleberry hung his head and walked back to his hot partner; "sorry Britney... Looks like this is just not my sport." She laughed and cuddled up to him and gave a pep talk; "next time I will show you how to play, and if we win you get a kiss."

Hasleberry blushed when she also grabbed hold of his arm; Brett stepped up and threw a ball down the alley. The ball did not touch the floor and hovered an inch above the ground the whole. The ball hit and crashed into the back of the alley; the force knocked the pins all down, and nearly took down the wall. Brett turned and rubbed the back of his head; "guess a fifth of my strength is still too much right..."

Everyone could not help but feel a little worried about the comment; Blair got up and approached Brett. She whispered into his ear and he nodded. She picked up a dark red ball, and Brett got right behind her. Their bodies were touching and Blair could not help but get a little excited, and blush with a big smile when she looked at Brett. Brett went through the motions twice; on the third time Blair threw the ball and it was a perfect throw.

The ball traveled down and earned her a strike; she jumped up and down before turning and leaping into Brett's arms. Brett hugged her and carried her off the stage in both his arms; her body across his arms. Chazz cracked his knuckles and walked up and picked out a black ball; having a lot to prove to everyone after his terrible duel the other day. "Hope all of you are ready for me to Chazzersize this game; I'm a pretty good bowler too. Alexis; I will make you proud…" He threw his ball and knocked down the half of the pins.

Chazz jumped up and with rage; he quickly grabbed another ball and readied another throw. There was no way he was going to let down his beloved Alexis; he wanted her to approve, and his thoughts were all about her. He threw the ball and it hit the rest of the pins. He laughed at his accomplishment till he heard Blair's voice. "Big deal! I knocked down all of them on my first throw."

Rage filled Chazz and he started to yell; "only cause you had your boyfriend helped you." Brett shot a look at Chazz and told Blair not to listen; Alexis hit the back of Chazz's head and walked up; grabbing a bright blue ball. She said nothing and threw her ball earning a strike for her team, and acted like it was nothing to her. Chazz's eyes filled with hearts and he complimented his partner, and Alexis gave in and thanked Chazz for it.

Britney's next turn lasted about ten seconds; and ended with another strike. She called Hasleberry up and told him to ease of on the power; she then promised him something if he could get a strike. Hasleberry headed the advice and threw his first strike. He flexed his muscles to show off, and then he felt Britney's lips on his cheek. Hasleberry could not help but blush; Chazz asked Alexis to give him that kind of motivation and Alexis responded crushing Chazz for going to far. "Dream on Chazz; I'm not that desperate to win; this is supposed to be fun after all."

While Chazz was being crushed by Alexis; Brett threw another strike, but with less force finally finding a good grove. Blair got up feeling unsure about her skills but Brett whispered to her; "Blair it was all you last time and this time you will get a strike. Just imagine it's me up there right behind you; I believe in you, and our love will make us the best at everything." Blair nodded and ran up and threw another perfect ball earning her second strike. She turned and stuck her tongue out at Chazz, but he turned away and ignored it.

The rest of the game went by pretty fast; Brett, Alexis, and Britney all scored perfect games. Their partners all put up the real fights; Blair missed pins here and there but Brett kept her spirits high. Chazz bowled well for the rest of the game; he stayed on par with Blair till the last frame when Alexis complemented him as he threw. The complement making him miss entirely Hasleberry picked up the slack and bowled the next ten times earning a strike without fail.

They gathered around and stared at the final scores; Brett and Blair earned a score of 539 points together. Chazz and Alexis earned a total of 522 together; Alexis was happy but Chazz was sore that he lost to Blair and Brett yet again. Hasleberry and Britney earned a total of 570 points; they celebrated with Britney jumping into his arms. When they did their lips met and they fell deep into the kiss; everyone watched the kiss that lasted a fair amount of time.

The kiss was soon broken by a bodyguard announcing dinner. Hasleberry walked off in a daze while Britney ran over to Blair giggling. Blair wished she could have experienced that with Brett, but she knew it would eventually happen. Blair was tired of pecks, but she would be patient for she knew it would be the best thing she ever experienced. The group left for dinner; the boasting and bragging came from different people but was good for a few laughs.

The dinner was a banquet feast once a gain; featuring different foods from around the world. Each person sampled and found obvious favorites; Brett stayed away from hot and spicy till Blair forced Brett to try one of her favorites. Brett lost it and began to drink massive amounts of fluids; trying to put what he thought was a fire in his mouth out. Most got a quick laugh at the display and Blair immediately apologized; she thought she might need to ease him into spicy foods.

Dinner lasted over an hour; Axel was dead silent throughout the whole dinner. Brett had noticed, but also decided to wait till later to ask him. The dinner ended with Pegasus telling everyone to go off and do as they wish. Tomorrow the group would be departing around noon; everyone took the invitation and separated into smaller groups.

Blair and Brett grabbed Axel and brought him back to Brett's room. "Hey Axel; you were really quiet at dinner; what is wrong?" Blair asked before Brett could, ad he was eager for the response. Axel snapped out of his daze and looked over at the two sitting on the bed together. "Oh it's nothing! So you two are going to teach me about this dueling thing right. I hope you can find me some fire monsters…"

Blair nodded enthusiastically, while holding onto Brett's arms with her famous grip that she only used on the guy she was in love with. Axel walked over and laid down on the bed; his mind was still thinking about his former comrades. Were they going to abandon them; he could just not go through with killing Brett. It would not be fair to either Brett or Blair, and considering how wonderful of a time she was having with him; made it impossible for Axel to betray them.

Britney and Alexis sat together in the sauna by themselves in their two piece swimsuits. Britney looked like she was sleeping till she spoke up. "Lexi; I have a really important favor to ask you..." Alexis agreed to it and Britney continued with the request. "I want you to keep a real close eye on that Samantha girl. I did not see her once and she has always been spying on Brett. I mean do not worry them about this but you know…"

"Do not worry Britney I will; but why are you asking me to do this. It's ok if you really want to look out for Blair, but I just am wondering why the formal request." Britney sat up; which was caused the feeling of being light headed. "Well I have gotten close to Blair; like she is now one of my closest friends. You see I will not be coming back with all of you; I have to go home and deal with a few things... It totally sucks but I have too. But hey… I totally made Hasleberry's day right?"

"Yeah I think he really liked it but… I have noticed it to Britney; I promise I will not let her do anything." Britney smiled in response to Alexis's answer. "Thanks Lexi... I hope both of them are still together; I enjoy all of your company, but I have to go back home because of my parents. Someday I will be back but until then." Alexis smiled; "We all have enjoyed your company as well; I hope what ever is wrong gets fixed real soon."

Meanwhile Brett had reformulated his deck; his new deck felt much more powerful. With help from both of Axel's friends; he had built his first deck. The deck was composed of fire monsters, and Axel was very intrigued to test it out but6 had to wait to test it. Brett was admiring Blair's Mystic Egg dragon deck, but Brett had just given some extremely rare cards to Blair. She put all of Brett's suggestions; encouraging a more powerful deck, but keeping her favorites and adding more.

She looked the cards over and went straight to modifying her deck. Brett or Axel were not aloud to look at it; she told Brett that he could get a look when he went on their first date. Brett agreed and Axel took that as a signal to leave; the hour was growing very late and Axel left without so much as another word. To much was going on, and he just wanted a clear cut sign that he was doing the right thing, but Brett and Blair were happy and maybe that would be enough.

Brett and Blair got changed into their night time apparel; Blair lay there in Brett's bed and she invited him over. Brett took the invitation and lay beside her; both snuggling close to the other feeling the others warmth, and Brett had become addicted to Blair's smell. It was nothing bad, but it was so sweet to him, and he loved it. Blair moved her head so that it rest on his shoulder; they lay there peacefully till gentle sobs started to come from her. "What's wrong Blair?"

"It's not what is wrong; it is that this entire time has been so perfect. I do not want to leave; I will be moving into the Blue girl's dorm. I will not get to do this with you ever; guys are not aloud in." Brett squeezed her; "Blair we will figure something out. You know most couples do not do this; this early in their relationship, but I'm so glad you are doing this with me. I know we are right; I promise I will figure something out; the fact that you trust me tells me this is right."

Gentle sobs still came from Blair; "you have been so wonderful thee last few days. I'm so glad I ended up with you. When I'm with you I feel so safe; maybe we can find a way to do this more. I don't think I could sleep without you there; this is the love I have dreamed of having." Brett looked down at her blue hair and smiled giving a small kiss on the top of her head; "I will try my best so we can do this a lot. I'm glad I ended up with you to Blair."

Brett gave her another gentle kiss on the top of her head, and soon they both fell asleep together… completely in love.


	9. Chapter 6 Going Back

Chapter 6 Going Back

Chapter 6 Going Back

The sun rose, but no one wanted to get up. Today was the day they had to go back; a reality which had enclosed on them far too quickly. They all had enjoyed this period of relaxation; it was a break from the stressful events, and a welcome one at that. Most bonds had been strengthened, but it was almost time to return, and with it perhaps more troubled times awaited since no one had heard anything from Jaden.

Slowly everyone got up and prepared; taking their time and doing what they thought was going to be the best use of their time. Many friends would be separated today and a new journey would begin. Axel stood by the window dressed in his black cloak, and just watched the sun as he contemplated his position. He let his head drop, and spoke silently to himself; "Roxas I will free you, and I will not betray Brett or Blair either."

The two young lovers lay in bed; Brett slept soundly while Blair lay right beside him. She did not want to wake him, or for this wonderful feeling to end. Here she was in a luxurious mansion with the guy she was in love with, and it was just too good. He was always impressing her, and trying his best to make sure that she was taking care of. Blair wondered if she was simply to high maintenance, but if she was then Brett was still having no trouble. She was definitely not hungry; not if it meant getting up and losing this moment.

Blair pressed herself as close as possible; the warmth of the two together made things even better. She was young, but now even more certain that even if Brett was three years older; that he was right. The bed made her feel like sleeping in the clouds; she was enjoying the luxury of this place, but the company even more. She wondered what would happen when they returned. She knew that she was going to the Obelisk Blue dorm in less then half a year; which was an honor but intimidating at the same time.

Brett was going to be right beside her, but that raised so many more questions. Would she even see Brett that much; she had responsibilities that she had to attend to and so did Brett. They were class reps, and they were both Obelisk blue students, so there responsibilities might keep them apart. Could she even do this anymore with him; it was just sleeping beside him but others might view it other wise. She knew Brett was torn but maybe she could force him to sneak in, and the fact of going to a girls dorm just plain sucked now.

"So are you enjoying this as much as I am…?" Blair knew Brett had woken up; she sighed and said yes. "You know I really love doing this; things are going to change today. We will be going back and no doubt we are going to end up busy. But I can only promise you one thing; that I will spend as much time as possible."

Another sigh came from Blair; she loved the sentiment but knew that they would not get that much time together. "Brett we will not get to do this for a while; I will miss this so much. Class will also be difficult; we have nothing in common, and I will always be thinking of you and how you are. Even though we are both first years, we both are in completely different classes, and this just sucks because I want you to always be around me."

"Well actually I'm really bored in my classes… nothing is much of a challenge; so maybe I could challenge them Ever since you saved me from the armor; I can think to an amazing degree and things are so clear. I can sense everything… so I will take all the exams early. I don't know if I can, but this would let me spend more time with you… it would be much easier then emailing you all the time right?"

She was so touched that she squeezed him with all her might; despite what the future might hold; she now thought she could get through it. They stayed in bed together for another hour, but they did not say much more but just enjoyed the others touch. After they got up and ate something; soon the time came and they all loaded into the helicopter. Pegasus accompanied them to the airport where they separated into two groups.

Jim, Jesse, and Marcel all stood in the second group; Pegasus had made special arrangements for their trips home. Everyone said their goodbye's; Blair was sad to see her friend Marcel leaving, and Marcel wished to have spent more time with her, but knew she was with Brett. Small tears in her eyes formed and soon she left her hug with him so Brett could say goodbye. Brett took as much time with his goodbyes as he felt necessary. He had made tight bonds with all three of these people; to say goodbye was hard but somehow they all knew they would see each other soon.

"Britney? You said you said you were coming with us right mate?" Jim asked; Brett and Blair turned their head to her friend who walked forward. Britney turned around and hugged Blair tightly; she whispered into Blair's ear to take good care of Brett. Blair nodded, and Britney went over to Alexis; they hugged and Britney whispered to her to take care of Brett as well. Before Alexis could respond she continued; she warned Alexis to watch out for Samantha, and Alexis agreed to watch out for her.

Britney came to Brett; they starred at each other and Britney put her left and right hand on both of Brett's shoulder. "Brett take good care of yourself, and Blair too. You are really special, and I do not want to lose you either so be careful. Come see me sometime in France; ok? I will try to make it back…" Brett nodded and Britney gave Brett a kiss on the cheek; Brett did the same to her and she smiled. She gave him a quick hug and stepped back.

There was only one person that Britney had to say goodbye to. She looked at Hasleberry and gave a big smile and the large guy was still a little nervous to make a move. She then jumped forward and kissed Hasleberry on the cheek. he could not help but blush and soon they parted. Britney ran off without another word; the four duelists got into a new vehicle and left.

Pegasus walked up to his son; "well this is good bye. I believe I still am making it up to you correct? If you need anything do not be afraid to ask; I will gladly help you, and Blair please look after him. He tends to be very reckless, at least now he has someone to look after him right?" Pegasus finished his short speech and left; leaving no time for Brett to argue or protest. Blair shouted that she would and Pegasus turned and smiled; they all boarded the plane, and were on their way back, but Blair was curious to why he was making it up to Brett.

The plane ride seemed much faster this time; they de boarded and took a helicopter the rest of the way. They arrived back on the island; things looked almost normal; the smaller group was called to go and see the Chancellor. They arrived at the Chancellor's office all unaware of the reason for being summoned. "Welcome back; I trust you all have had a relaxing couple of days! Now we can get down to business..."

"Why did you call us here Chancellor?" Brett asked; the others were anticipating any news about Jaden. "Well first of all I want to report that I'm promoting most of you. Blair you will be moving to Obelisk Blue, while Chazz and Syrus will go back to Obelisk Blue boys dorm. As for Brett; I would like you to stay in Obelisk Blue and as a student rep for the rest of the year. Other then this; hopefully things will go back to being slightly more normal around here. Samantha and Axel are welcome to stay as guests for the time being; they can stay in Blue dorms till the end of the year."

"Has there been any news about Jaden?" Syrus asked with great impatience; everyone else was also wondering the exact same thing, but the Chancellor just bowed his head. "I'm sorry Syrus, but we have no information on Jaden. I do not know if there is anything we can do, but I most definitely do not anyone going after him. We have almost had too many people almost getting hurt; I want you all to promise never to go looking for him. I know it is hard to ask, but you all must promise me this; you especially Brett."

Slowly everyone promised; most started to leave except for Brett. "Brett, is there something else I can help you with?" Brett stepped forward and spoke with a determined voice; one that did not sound like it would take no for an answer. "I want to challenge as many of my classes right now; I feel fully ready to take all the exams. If I can I want to take more years; there should be no problem with this request correct?"

The Chancellor gasped at the idea, but quickly regained his composure and smiled when he figured out why he was doing this. "Brett you have every right to do this; you can challenge every class if you want, but it is your responsibility to pass, and it will not be easy. If you were to do such a thing, and seeing about your courageous efforts to this point. Not to mention what you have been through; at that point you we might be able to honor you. You would not technically be a student, and you could graduate this year if you choose to, and you can do as you please if that is the case."

No pause was needed for Brett; "then I will do it. I shall challenge many exams as possible." Blair got exited; he was doing this to spend time with her. It seemed so perfect if he could finish all of them, and the image of him always being perfect had no doubtful thoughts disturbing it. "Very well Brett; you will take three years of challenge exams over the next three days. Till then I suggest you go study and hard; I will go make preparations for your examination."

After Brett heard that they all left; most understood why he was doing it, but could not possibly imagine passing that many exams. It would take days to complete them all, and this young duelist was up to the challenge. Blair was thrilled with her boyfriend; after this she would be spending more time with him. Brett was also excited about the idea; ever since was freed from the armor, so much info was available. His knowledge of things was beyond measure at this point, and he could remember anything after a single read through; something he needed to accomplish this task.

They exited Duel Academy unaware of what was a top the academy; "there is the target." The man finished speaking for the woman to take over. "This will be difficult for us to intercept and take the target. Aura will not except failure, but we will need to erase the memories of all of them. We cannot afford a screw up, and I'm afraid his power is far too great to intervene."

The male nodded; "patience is a virtue and we have only so many to spare. If all fails we must erase this thing; the duty of the Erasers is too eliminate everything that should not exist. We will leave till then… the girl is proving inseparable; this will indeed be a challenge…" The voice and the males body faded from existence; the female soon followed. Axel walked with Brett and turned around because of a dark presence that. He saw nothing and quickly turned back; still suspicious of what he had felt.

Song kiranoshukudai

Later Blair entered the Obelisk Blue's dorm for the first time; she span around and took in the sights. It was so up class and fancy, and it was indeed up Blair's alley. Two girls in Obelisk Blue uniforms came up to her; Blair backed up a little seeing that she was intimidated by the older girls. She was the most intimidated by the brown haired girl; the Black haired, but the other one had a huge friendly smile though. "You must be Blair; Alexis told me all about you. She maid us promise to be nice to you, but from what we have heard; we think we will get along just fine. My name is Mindy, and this beside me is Jasmine."

Many other girls came over and welcomed Blair into the dorm; she was happy to find that she was being accepted into the dorm with few issues. Blair felt right at home; she knew she would enjoy this. "Hey Blair; shouldn't you have some stuff; I mean you are moving in."

Mindy commented while putting a finger up to her mouth; confused this young girl had nothing in her possession. She looked around, but there was nothing, and then the door was pushed open by Brett. His face blocked by all the luggage and he walked over towards Blair. "Blair I thought you were going to wait for me!" shouted Brett. Every girl turned their attention to Brett whose face was hidden behind Blair's four suitcases. "Hey guys are not aloud in here!"

Jasmine shouted with a real aggravated face; not one to take anything from any guy what so ever. Blair waved her hands trying to get everyone's attention back on her, and no sooner did they turn to Blair then did she explain. "No it's ok; that is Brett my boyfriend. He is just helping me with all my luggage; he is just so sweet."

It was not that the luggage was heavy, but it was a little hard to navigate. Brett would not let Blair carry a thing, and he walked right up to Blair and set all the luggage he carried in his two arms. The instant he set down the luggage his face was exposed; all of the girls forgave him. "Oh my; you can come her any time you like!" Jasmine said enthusiastically; all of the girls crowed Brett leaving Blair out in the open.

Girls were questioning Brett left, right, and center; everything that they could possibly want to know. Jasmine and Mindy had their hands all over him, and Brett was finding this a hard place to escape from. All the girls just could not leave him alone; something Brett was wishing they would do. He could barely answer a question before another would be asked, and he was helpless in the sea of girls. Blair thought it was cute the he was fitting in to; maybe they would let him in so they could be together.

Minutes passed and the crowd around Brett did not disperse; she quickly realized the others were after him, and her amusement ended abruptly. Multiple girls started to ask for Brett to be her boyfriend followed by more requesting the same thing; that was Blair's queue to step in. Brett was hers, and she was not going to let anything happen to him. She pushed her way through the crowd and latched onto Brett. "Sorry girls but he is already taken!"

All of the girls saddened about the fact that Brett was already taken by Blair. Blair let go of her death grip on Brett; slowly they both breathed a sigh of relief. Brett was humbled about the interest he had received, but he was starting to wonder why this was always happening. It was nothing to really complain about, but Brett was happy with just Blair.

Suddenly Jasmine put her left arm around Blair's neck and pulled her in close. "Come on Blair? We Obelisk girls have to stick together; what's mine is yours! So how about we share him?" Blair was about to flat out deny her when Mrs. Fontaine's voice came from above. "Sorry Jasmine, but Brett only loves Blair… I doubt he could love anyone as much as her; they really are that in love with the other."

Jasmine pouted for a moment at her missed opportunity, while Mindy was amazed; "their love is that strong. Wow; it must be strong for him to refuse my good looks." With just a light wink from Mindy to Brett he could not help but think he made a friend. Jasmine got mad; she protested about her own beauty. Mrs. Fontaine laughed and descended the stairs and approached her students. "You have no idea; would you like to hear?" Jasmine, Mindy and a whole group of Obelisk Blue girls gathered round their teacher.

Mrs. Fontaine was approached by Brett and he whispered into her ear; "Mrs. Fontaine… should we be telling this story?" Mrs. Fontaine just smiled; "I'm getting you a whole bunch of new allies. If you want to spend time in this dorm, and be the first guy aloud in here; then you will need these girls on your side. They just need to get to know you better; it is not like I have a problem with you in here. Plus it would help Blair settle in if you were with her right? Just relax with Blair; I will make sure you become extremely popular after this."

Brett went over and sat with Blair; she leaned her head on his shoulder. Then Mindy sat on the opposite site; she leaned on Brett's other shoulder while Jasmine lay between his legs. Jasmine looked up and smiled at him; she looked a little devious, but Brett was enjoying this. He could only smile with all the girls around him, and his sheepish smile was accompanied by a blush from all the company.

Other girls came and sat near him; Mrs. Fontaine sat in front of them and told her story. Each battle was old with excruciating detail; so much that it was apparent that she had paid close attention. All of the girls listened with great interest; it was starting to sink in with Brett how much had happened in such a short time. It was only a reminder to Blair, one of why she loved him and how much she meant to him.

The stories were all told; all of the girls sat the in absolute awe of Brett. "Wow what a warrior, and he has wings too!" Mindy chanted; leaving Jasmine to look up from within Brett's lap. "No he is like the Harpies' Brother; rugged, good looking, and strong. You are so dreamy Brett…" then Blair took over while still snug on his shoulder. "Yes he is, and he is my boyfriend."

No words could escape anyone else's mouths; they all adored Brett after the stories. He was a hero, but Mrs. Fontaine felt the need to impress them more. "Did I forget to mention he is a world class duelist, he is challenging three years of classes, and that he is Maximillion Pegasus's adoptive son." All the girls went ballistic and pulled Blair away from him. They all suddenly had so many questions to ask her; leaving Brett and Mrs. Fontaine alone.

Brett walked over and sat down next to her; "I understand everything, but you just had to mention those last three things… didn't you?" Brett sighed the moment he finished talking, and Mrs. Fontaine could only let a small feminine laugh. "Brett you should never hide who you are; well at least this will make life more interesting."

Again Brett sighed and Mrs. Fontaine tried to comfort him. Blair was still being questioned about Brett and her relationship; and she was having far too much fun answering. Brett was starting to have mixed feelings about all of this; then Alexis began to descend the steps and decided to break it up. "Ladies; don't we not have something better we could be doing?"

The girls parted from Blair, and Alexis continued; "come on everyone leave Brett and Blair alone. She needs to get settled and I'm sure you all will see lots of him seeing how Blair is here." The girls started to wander away; most went up to Brett and told him he was welcome to come back any time. Alexis, Blair, Jasmine, Mindy, and Mrs. Fontaine all gathered around Brett. Mrs. Fontaine laughed; "So I guess you are welcome here anytime Brett. I can certainly look the other way for a hero such as you; that is unless Blair does not want you here?"

Not a moment passed before Blair quickly nodded her head that she wanted him to be here, and then everyone got a quick laugh in. "So then it is agreed; I will make sure everyone knows. That way you will have no problems; if you want to sleep here to that is your choice, but do not do anything that you could get in serious trouble." Brett agreed and Blair was ecstatically happy with this development. "Well how about you three girls show Blair to her room; after all other females are joining us; like Samantha for example. So we have lots to do, so get moving now."

Blair went to get some of her luggage, but Brett jumped in front and insisted that he carry it all. Jasmine got another devious smirk across her face; "Blair you are quickly becoming one of my best friends! You have him trained so well… I like that." Blair shook her head; "no it is not like that. Brett always does this kind of stuff. He loves me, and he is so; so wonderful!"

"That is so sweet!" Mindy said enthusiastically; Jasmine agreed, and Alexis just stood there enjoying this. They all traveled together to Blair's room; despite how much luggage Brett was carrying Jasmine stayed very close. Alexis was starting to worry that Jasmine was truly falling for him. Jasmine was strong, and it was strange to see her so interested in a guy besides her brother.

They arrived at Blair's new room which was spacious and luxurious, but nothing near to what Blair had at Brett's house. A big bed and mirrors with a room all to herself; more then enough for her and Brett. Mindy ran away for a second but quickly returned. "Here you are Blair; your Obelisk Blue uniforms."

She handed the multiple outfits to Blair; she looked them over and was honored. The miniskirt was very cute, but Blair was split down the middle on what to think about them. "Thank you, but for now I think I will just keep my old outfits. Besides Brett likes me like this; he is always telling me he likes me for me."

"It's true… Blair is perfect the way she is, and I would not change anything about her;" Brett said causing all of the girls to admire him more. Jasmine then turned around and snuggled right up against Brett's front. "Well of course you would like her no matter what she wears, but it's what underneath that counts. I bet you are pretty impressive to underneath it all."

Brett's face quickly matched the color of Blair's vest, and he backed his head away in shock. Alexis grabbed hold of Jasmine's arm and pulled her and Mindy out of the room. Alexis got both of them out into the hall, and she turned around. "Sorry about her Brett;" Brett shook his head and denied that it had got to him despite his face color, and Alexis sighed. "You two just get settled ok? I will come back later and show you where everything is, and I will deal with her."

The door shut and Brett and Blair were alone; Brett was still wondering about how he had gained access to girls only dorm. At least he was with Blair, but this young man felt very out of place. Brett slowly regained his composure; he went over to the bed and sat down facing the wall at the head of the bed. He just wanted some time to slow down since he had many exams just ahead.

Blair looked down to her Obelisk Blue uniform, and she started wondered if Brett truly wanted her to be wearing it. No doubt it was cute and sexy, and that was what guys liked. It was risky considering all he had to do was turn around, but she loved him and he loved her; at that point it did not matter if he did. There was no objection in Blair's mind, but the danger of him turning around was strangely exciting.

Waiting no time, she quickly started to change; she quietly and quickly removed her old uniform. She stood there with little clothes for a moment; she turned and looked to see if Brett was peeking, but he was absolutely still, frozen in a meditative state. Blair turned around and was feeling strange; part of her wanted Brett to turn around, but then she realized they had not even had a proper first date. She shook of the feelings, and realized it was still way to early; still it was very exciting.

One of the Obelisk Blue uniforms flew off the bed quietly, and Blair was soon fully dressed in it. She looked down at it and wondered if he would like it; it was certainly something she would do in an instant for him. Quickly she looked to the mirror, and used her hands to fix her hair It was a flattering outfit, and she wondered if she should stay in it for the rest of the year, and she posed for a second to boost her confidence. "Brett what do you think?"

Slowly he opened his eyes and turned around; the first thing he saw was Blair's clothes and her bare feet. His head whipped back and he looked straight forward; his body temperature shot up and sweat started to form on his brow. Blair saw his reaction; she looked down and saw her clothes. She immediately knew what he thought; he really did respect and love her very much, so much that he would not risk blowing it.

A smile came across her face; she got on the bed and came right up behind him. Her arms wrapped around his neck; her body was pressing into Brett's back, and Brett could not but feel his temperature rise again, literally burning up. "Brett; you are so sweet. I really do love that you are not here just for that reason, and I'm so glad that I can trust you… still I know you think I'm beautiful, and that is the best part!"

Brett turned and saw her I her full Obelisk Blue uniform; he gasped at the sight. "You really are beautiful in anything Blair." Brett's voice was so truthful and honest sounding; that she turned her head in embarrassment. She paused for only a brief moment before launching into, and in wrapping her arms around Brett again; pushed him down onto the bed.

Brett wrapped his arms around Blair and together they lay there. "I never want to lose you Brett; you are exactly what I always wanted. I can't believe I ignored you for Jaden…" Brett smiled and nuzzled Blair's head with his own; "glad that this worked out for both of us. You want to unpack later?" Blair nodded into Brett's chest; "yes… I can always unpack later; right now I just want to sleep here with you…"

Before Brett could say anything else; he realized she was asleep, so comfortable that she instantly fell asleep. He was glad to lay there; they both felt so close; like their bond was becoming unbreakable. The truth that Brett loved her in that uniform, and he would be happy for her to wear it again. Hours passed and then the door opened; in came Alexis with a big yellow envelope. "Hi Brett; you know you really made an impression on Jasmine. I think she is going to try and get you, and… Is that Blair in the girl's uniform?"

Brett nodded and slowly got up and lifted Blair up and off him; Blair kept sleeping, but her arm reached till she grabbed Brett's arm. Brett stayed close so Blair would not wake; "yeah; she kind of did it for me… looks like she really likes me, and with Jasmine… I guess did that thing I usually do..." Alexis let out a quiet chuckle and sat on the bed next to Brett. "You mean where you say the perfect thing, or you do something incredible? Well that is your specialty; Jasmine has barely stopped talking about you, but the reason why I came here is this."

A yellow envelope passed from Alexis's possession to Brett's. He opened it to see a certificate as well as an exam schedule. "So this is my pass to be here? All my exams take up the next three days?" Alexis smiled; "well you are taking three years of exams, I'm surprised that is all time it will take. Brett about that note; the only reason you got it is because none of the girls mind you. If you do anything wrong then you will be kicked out; so just be careful."

"Do not worry Alexis; I will behave. I want to stay here with Blair…" Alexis put her hand on his head and rubbed it; "good. I'm glad to hear that you both are so close; anyways Jasmine will not shut up about you... nor will most the other girls. You always were good with the girls… I know Blair is really protective of you, and with good reason; but if you could spend sometime with her too." Brett nodded without so much as an argument; Blair moaned in her sleep and Alexis rose to her feat. "You lay back down so she does not get up; I will bring you both dinners later; okay?"

A nod was the only thing that came from Brett; Alexis left without another word. Brett lay back down beside Blair; she reached out and grabbed him and snuggled right back up close to him. It was almost like she was awake; even though her were shut and she was clearly asleep. Brett fell asleep again with Blair latched to him; he was ready for anything, and looking at Blair she was just adorable.

Another hour passed, and a knocking came from the door. Brett and Blair slowly woke up; they got up and walked towards the door. When they opened it they saw Jasmine standing there with three plates of food. Brett quickly helped her by taking two of the plates, and Jasmine invited herself in while she spoke. "I thought I would bring you both your suppers; would you mind if I ate up here too?"

Brett looked to Blair; she did not have the most enthusiastic look about company, but she invited her in since she was already in. All three sat on the floor in a circle; the two girls inched closer to Brett's side till they were at his side, and Brett could feel the tension, and just had to relieve it. "So why did you want to eat with us? I thought you would eat with your friends." Jasmine did not wait an instant before responding with a confident tone; "I thought I should get to know you two better. You do not have a problem with that do you?"

Brett shook his head, more then nervous at the tone in Jasmine's voice. Another knock came to the door and Alexis and Mindy came in, and they both had a somewhat nervous voice. They had both brought their plates of food and sat across from the three. "Mind some company?" Alexis asked, and sat across from Brett. "Please tell me no one else will show up; this room is not that big…" Brett said with a long sigh before he took a bite.

The five finished their supper; Brett felt tension on both sides of him. Jasmine was keeping a close eye on him, and had been asking far too many questions for it to be cute any more. Blair kept trying to show that Brett was hers by keeping her hands on him, but Jasmine was not giving in. The other two girls were watching this and were starting to worry about a fight breaking out. The tension was getting thicker and thicker each second. "Hey Jasmine… Alexis… it is getting late; lets get out of here and leave these two alone."

Mindy stated causing Jasmine to cringe at the thought of leaving. She kept wondering how this man thought Brett was more attractive then her, but that was impossible. Alexis and Mindy got up, and it took both of them to get Jasmine to move. Finally they got her up and out of there; the door shut and Blair turned her attention to Brett.

Out in the hall Alexis had left and taken all of the dishes with her to cleaned, but Jasmine's friend had questions. "So how much do you like him?" Mindy asked and Jasmine dropped to her knees; Mindy had never seen her friend so devoted to a guy before. "I want him as my boyfriend; forget Blair!" Mindy sighed; "you know it is not right; he is with Blair, and I can totally see why..." Jasmine sighed and got up to leave but she was not going to give up that easy.

"Brett I do not like how hard she is trying to get your attention." Brett sighed at Blair's statement and turned and kissed her on the head. "Blair I was just being polite; you know that you are the only girl for me, but I cannot just shut her down." Blair sighed and bowed her head; "I know, and I will trust you with my life. I will always trust your judgment and will trust your choices, but that still does not mean I like her being that attached to you. Just try to ease her off a bit…"

Time passed and the two fell asleep in the room under the covers. Blair stayed in her uniform and did not go for a shower; she was going to spend as much time as possible. Brett was going to be gone for all of the next three days except for nighttime, and that was hard for Blair to leave him while she had him. Blair once again stayed as close as possible; she would not let him leave her.

The following three days all passed the exact same way. Before Brett would leave for his exams he would wake Blair and say goodbye. She hated those moments, but knew he was doing it for her. Blair was reluctant at first but soon would let go; she spent her days with her new friends and saw little of old ones. Every few seconds her mind would drift back to Brett; wondering how well he was doing.

Brett flew through his exams; over three days he burned through many exams. Each one was completed in record time for the school, and each time the marks were perfect. It only took one read of the material, and Brett could remember everything. He finished each day at around ten a clock at night. He would return to the Blue girls' dorm and someone would allow him entrance. Jasmine kept her eye on Brett; and so did Samantha who had moved into the dorm as well.

All exams were finished on time; everyone at the school had soon heard about Brett's accomplishment. In one year he had done all of his schooling, and he now could attend what he wanted to do. He even had the option to stay the three years, or take the graduation duel. It was unheard of, but slowly Brett was becoming a legend. The fact that he was Exia was the only reason why he could, but now he was free so the pain of guilt was eased away.

"It has almost been a week since you got back." Blair said while she lay beside Brett in her night time apparel. "Yes, and now I can spend as much time with you as possible. Blair… I'm sorry it took so long for me to do this, but tomorrow we are going on our first real date." Blair became ecstatic; no matter how much this felt like a wonderful dream; this was coming true.

"Brett; I cannot wait for it!" Blair said enthusiastically before they fell asleep together. Both were deeply excited about tomorrow and what was sure to be an amazing day…


	10. Chapter 7 The First Date

Chapter 7 The First Date

Chapter 7 The First Date

The sun rose on Duel Academy; Blair was comfortably snuggled up with Brett in her bed. A dream that felt all too unreal, but she truly appreciated. Brett was now free to spend as much time as possible with her. He had almost been a full week since Brett got back, but all of that failed in comparison as to what would happen today.

Today was Blair and Brett's first real date; she had no clue what was planned, but it would be the first real step in their relationship. She lay there beside him; wondering what would come of today's events. No matter what was going to happen; it would undoubtedly be loved by her. She wondered if they were going to share their first real kiss, and that was something Blair had dreamed of doing with him for a while.

All the romantic gestures and times that Brett had saved her made it highly anticipated. Whether he had done it to impress her or because he could was all too nice. Blair was young but could trust Brett with her safety, and he would not betray her trust. More importantly to Blair, was the fact that this was marking Brett hers. He had proved him self, and the though of their first real kiss was very exciting.

The two have had their shares of pecks and small kisses, but they had yet to share a real one. After yesterday when Blair saw how many girls were interested in Brett; she now felt pressure to seal the deal. She knew she loved him, and Blair did not care if there was an age difference if the love was real, and it was. Still she felt the need to make sure that others knew; Jasmine was also very interested which made Blair worry.

The brown haired Obelisk Blue girl had become incredibly infatuated with Brett since their first meeting. Still Blair knew that they were going to be inseparable, but still she felt the need to make the fact he was her boyfriend with a date. Blair's mind thought back to all the amazing moments they had together since he came back. Blair was fixed on the idea that Brett was perfect for her; the future looked bright indeed for these two young people whose destinies were definitely entwined.

The time was getting late, but Blair did just not want to get up. It was warm and comfortable; she was really wondering why everything was going so well. Brett inched over and slowly woke up; she looked up at him, and he looked down on her. Their eyes met and they both giggled at the other. Blair got up and stretched before she fell back into bed and into his arms.

"So what should I wear to our first date;" Blair asked her boyfriend with a smile across her face and her eyes closed. "I was hoping you would ware the red uniform; it looks good on you." She rolled over so that she was touching his side; her arm flew over his chest and she nuzzled his body with her head. "Brett you are so sweet; okay, I will wear it for you."

She got up and turned around to see him get up; "where are you going Brett?" He turned his head back to Blair; "well I thought I would give you some private time. I need to go get changed anyway, and make sure I'm clean. I will meet you at class, and after your classes we will go on our first date."

A long sigh came from Blair; "I thought we would skip class so we could spend all day together." Brett shook his head no; "Blair we are going to spend all day together. I know you are excited, but I cannot let you forget all your responsibilities for me. I will be with you as much as possible but I'm not going to get you in trouble… sadly you still have classes to attend."

Blair was touched by how much he cared for her; she reluctantly agreed and left to get showered and changed. Brett left, and girls said goodbye and escorted him out. Brett was halfway back to his dorm when something jumped out and grabbed him. "So where you been? I have not seen you in several days; I was beginning to think you forgot about me Brett."

Brett broke the grasp and turned to see Axel; "oh hi axel!" Axel clenched his fists at his friend before continuing on his rant; "don't you hi Axel me. I have not been able to even see you in the last three or four days! I really could have used your help when I was learning the hard way how to play this game of yours. You know how many loses I've had since then?"

Axel leapt forward and put Brett in ahead lock; "Axel stop it! I'm sorry, ok?" Axel let go and Brett jumped back, while he regained his composure; Axel continued on. "Look I know you and Blair are becoming very close; so I'm not going to bust you on that. I just would like to spend some time with you; don't forget you have other friends too. But hey if you just want to abandon your friends then go ahead…"

"Axel it is not that, but everyone just keep pulling me every direction. Blair is trying to get me attached to her forever; which really I'm not complaining about. I have been ignoring my other friends, and I'm sorry for that. Jaden is still missing, and everyone now knows everything about me; I'm getting stressed…" Brett finished and Axel looked into his eyes and saw that he was dead tired.

"Anything else you want to tell me about? Like maybe how you look dead on your feet?" Brett tried to wake up, but he was having a fair amount of trouble; "I'm fine Axel." Axel sighed and he turned Brett around, and they continued to walk. "Brett you know I can tell when you are lying; so stop wasting our time and tell me what's going on… I could always force it out of you the hard way."

"I have been having serious muscle spasms lately in my body, and I have been barely able to hide them from Blair. It is nothing, but it is making sleeping a challenge." Brett closed his eyes from the lack of sleep; "ever think that maybe should take a day off. So you are not really that stressed as well as being worn out? And I guess you have not told Blair right?"

Brett could only shake his head, and Axel put his arm around Brett's shoulder. "Just do not ware yourself out too much; so you want to get this pain checked out?" Axel questioned; Brett shook his head no, and Axel had only one thing left to say. "If it gets any worse; then I will drag you to a doctor the hard way." Brett shook his head that he understood; he looked up to see they were at the Obelisk Blue Boys' Dorm.

The two continued towards the entrance, but there path was blocked by a group of ten students. "Look who it is guys! If it isn't the legendary student; the one who thinks he is so great!" stated one student; causing; Axel took his arm off of Brett's shoulder. He tried to step forward, but Brett held his arm out in front of Axel. "What do you want from me?"

The same guy continued to talk, while the rest circled Brett and Axel all giving them harsh unforgiving looks. "'WE' just want to know where you been; after all you belong at our dorm, and you have not been around that much. So you must really think you are great; quite frankly we do not want you around."

Brett and Axel were both anticipating a fight; Axel was not going to let his friend get attacked not in the state he was. "What are all you lame excuse for duelists winning about?"

Brett turned to see Chazz approaching them; all of the students that were harassing Brett turned their attention to Chazz. "If all of you want to prove your better then him; get out there and start showing others you are better! If you do something like this then you do not belong here, and I will make sure you all get what you disserve for being this pathetic." Seven of the students ran off right away from the threat, but three duelists stayed behind to question Chazz. "What's the matter Chazz? I thought you hated this guy too?"

"After that pathetic display; I'm embarrassed to have you as Obelisk students. I'm even thinking Brett is better then you; at least he is not quite so pathetic. Never do something this stupid, or I will make sure you are not only expelled for this disgrace you bring to my dorm." Two more students ran off leaving one behind. "Chazz you scare them; not me. I'll take you down a peg later Brett; then everyone will se how great you really are, or maybe I could go after you girlfriend instead!"

Axel could only hold Brett back from attacking him right then and there. The student laughed and ran off; leaving the three guys behind. Axel held Brett back still; slowly he calmed down, and his heart rate returned to normal. "Thank you Chazz for stopping the fight; I was not feeling up to it."

"Do not get the wrong idea Brett; that kind of thing demotes me as well. If I ever see that kind of stuff against a student from my dorm; they will be expelled. I'm surprised to see the great Brett looking so down." Axel laughed at Chazz; "I thought you did not like Brett?" Chazz got flustered and turned around; "fine, then maybe I should not have helped you then."

"No Chazz …thank you for helping me back there." Brett spoke causing Chazz to be surprised. "Well you can repay my kindness later; so why are you so bummed sounding." Axel's face turned serious and he realized he could no say anything yet, now he had to chose what to reveal carefully. "Well; Brett is tired from lack of sleep. He is also feeling stressed because he has his first date tonight!" Brett went to ask how Axel knew, but was silenced by Axel; who put his other hand in front of his mouth.

No matter how he struggled; he could not free him self. "Well if it is his first time; it is obvious why he is stressed. Listen you are part of my dorm; so at least get cleaned up so you do not embarrass us. Next time don't let those guys push you around; I'm even surprised you took that lying down." Axel nodded, and pulled his friend into the dorm. Axel let Brett go who stopped Axel; "Axel; how did you know that? I have told no one that I was going out with Blair tonight."

A single finger was pointed at Brett; "let's face it... since you were coming here it was pretty obvious something was happening. The last few nights you come here to shower and change; then you leave. But now you are here again this morning; plus I just guessed that it was going to happen sooner or later." Brett could not answer anymore; Axel chuckled before continuing to talk. "Looks like I got it right; well get in there and get to it. You do not want to keep your girlfriend waiting."

Bret was shoved by Axel into the bathroom that was close by his room, and Axel laughed at his friend. The door shut tight behind Brett, and he started to get ready for his shower. Axel left to go into his room; the dorm was pretty well empty. All students were gone, and Axel just needed to take a rest before classes started. He was truly worried about his friend, but he would tell Blair later.

Water pored down on Brett; he had his eyes closed from the lack of sleep. He was still anxious for tonight, but he was unable to keep his eyes open any longer. Brett had found that the more energy he put into his body; the less the pain came. His body relaxed for the first time since his first attack that happened a week ago. Slowly he felt something he had not felt in a week; a wonderful relaxed feeling of not having to try just to keep the pain under control.

It felt wonderful to him; the shear feeling finally relieved the stress on his mind. There was no pain, but then it happened and pain came from no where with a sudden sharp jolt. The next instant later and he collapsed to his knees; the pain felt like a thousand glowing hot nails bring driven into his body. He screamed out for anyone to help; the pain was making it near impossible to make any sound. He let out one last scream he pored energy back into his body and slowly the pain receded.

The amount of energy that he had used to stop the pain had left him incredibly drained. He was panting hard on the floor in the shower. In those twenty seconds he had relaxed, he had experienced more pain then in the battles in the other dimension. He could not move, or even budge; he prayed for anyone to come and help him. He stopped the shower, and got out slowly; he was using a lot of energy to try and finish his shower.

The pain was still present; he wrapped himself in a towel and tried to leave. He reached for the door but he could not turn the handle even in the slightest. All of his strength was used up trying to stop the pain; he could either reach and open the door, and allow the pain to come back, or he could stop the pain for a while. Brett hobbled for a moment before he fell backwards almost like a doll that nothing was holding up.

His head hit the counter; nearly knocking him unconscious. Brett had chosen what was the lesser of two evils; he was holding the pain back, but was unable to move. Axel listened for Brett to get out but he saw nothing pass by his door. He got up and went over to the bathroom; he banged on the door having had enough of waiting. "Hey Brett what are you doing in there. You know she does not care how bad you look right?"

Seconds passed and there was no answer; he got quickly worried and knocked again. "Brett you ok? Brett!" Axel shouted; the door was locked, but Axel tried to think before doing something drastic. He ran to Brett's room which was a few doors away; the room was empty and looked like it was uninhabited by anything. Axel rushed back to the bathroom and kicked the door in with his strength.

The sight made him gasp; Brett was lying there with a towel around his waist. Axel shouted Brett's name; there was no response and Brett looked like he was in massive amount of pain. Axel picked him up and brought him to his room. Brett was set down on his bed; Axel checked his pulse but thankfully he was fine. Axel checked Brett's head; he had a huge bump were he had hit the counter, and his forehead was burning up.

Then Axel was surprised when Brett shot up; he sat up and stood on his own. Axel stayed near him wondering what was going on. "Brett are you ok; what happened?" Axel asked the questions at an alarming rate while Brett slowly went back to being him self. "I let my guard down and relaxed, and the pain came back. This time it was so intense; I don't think I can handle that kind of pain again... it took a lot to get it under my control."

Axel could not even imagine what had crippled Brett to such a degree; then he realized the meaning of his words. "Wait a second! You mean you have to focus to keep that pain away. Brett that is not good man; we need to get you to a doctor a doctor now." Brett shook his head; "no Axel I promised Blair. I'm fine; I can hold out now for a while. Trust me; this is something I feel I have to do for her. I need to ask you as my friend to let me do this."

The red haired man shook his head; he could not believe how stubborn he was. There was no way that he would be able to force Brett to go see a doctor yet, but no doubt he would need to see one. "Fine Brett; I will let you go on your date on two conditions. First I will wait for you an escort you to school to make sure you are alright. Second I want you to swear that tomorrow you will go see a doctor. I need you to swear this to me or I can't let you go."

Brett nodded, but Axel would not accept; he told Brett to swear it to him. "Fine Axel; I swear to go see someone tomorrow."

Axel nodded and left the room; he shut the door and waited for Brett. He kept a close ear on what was going on in case he collapsed again. Axel was truly starting to worry about his friend. To see him collapsed was extremely strange; he had been briefed about how strong Brett was, but he was crippled by what was afflicting him.

Brett emerged minutes later in a clean version of his new outfit. Axel escorted Brett to School; they were slightly late, but it did not matter. Blair was waiting outside; she was worried about what was taking him so long as she sat on a small block letting her leg dangle off. Then she saw Brett and jumped up; she ran at full speed and leapt into Brett's arms. Axel was worried but Brett seemed fine, but then again this must have been going on for longer then he had known him.

"Brett I was getting worried; what took you so long." Brett was about to respond when Axel cut in; "sorry Blair it was my fault. I kept Brett busy when he was suppose to be meeting you. Sorry Blair…" Blair scowled at him; by this point she disliked anything that kept Brett away. Then she turned back to Brett and smiled; "oh well. That is just like my wonderful boyfriend. He is always helping others."

Axel smiled and apologized again; Brett felt bad but Axel shook his head to tell him not to worry. Blair heard the second bell and she started to pull Brett with her. Axel watched the two leave; he was impressed that he had found someone that loved him that much. Tomorrow Axel had to make it his first priority to get Brett to a Mrs. Fontaine to look at him.

The two arrived at Blair's first class with Mrs. Fontaine; the all female class was not surprised to see Brett. The entire school had been notified about Brett's elevated status. At this point he could drop in on any class, and it did not hurt that the female population thought greatly of him. Blair and Brett sat down together; Jasmine sat beside Brett, and Alexis and Mindy sat behind the three.

"I would like all you girls to welcome Brett; at this point he is a special class of student. He will most likely be attending this class because Blair is here." Mrs. Fontaine finished and all the girls all gasped at what he had done for her; it was a little overwhelming. "So I would like you all to welcome him into our group. To think he is so privileged, so all of you better be nice to him to your idol.."

Brett face turned to shock; he was wondering what she meant; "oh sorry Brett. I guess the girls forgot to tell you that you have your own fan club." Mrs. Fontaine stopped speaking for a moment and all the girls laughed and giggled. Blair put her hand around Brett's arm; she still felt very possessive and was not going to let anyone have him.

The class started and everything was just going right by Brett. He was having trouble keeping the pain from coming back, and relaxing was forbidden fruit once again. Blair was paying close attention when Brett felt a hand on his leg. He looked down to see Jasmine's hand running up and down his leg suggestively; he looked over to see her with a deviously sexy smile across her face. He moved quickly and grabbed her hand; she stopped doing it but kept really close to Brett.

The class finished, and everyone left for lunch; Blair and Brett sat down and began to eat. Jasmine sat with them. She was trying incredibly hard to get Brett's attention. She ate her food very provocatively; Blair noticed and tried the same thing. She ended up nearly choking and Brett helped patted her back to try and help her. He would have taken more notice if it were not for the amount of effort he was using to keep the pain away.

The rest of the day passed by at a grueling pace; at the end Blair and Brett quickly disappeared. Jasmine was not about to give up; she left the school in search of the guy she loved. Brett took Blair out to the cliffs; it was peaceful so likely they would be left alone. Brett had picked up a basket that he refused to tell of its meaning and insisted it was a surprise.

They sat beside one another for a while till they heard a rustling. Brett got up quickly; he was worried about someone that could have malicious intent. "Who is there? ANSWER ME NOW!" Hasleberry shot up waving his hands; "sorry, sorry, sorry. I was just skipping school, and kind of fell asleep here. I'm sorry; am I disrupting something."

The expression across Blair's face frightened Hasleberry beyond belief because her expression was so upset. She grabbed the basket and stomped off with Brett; she just wanted Brett alone to her self on their first date. They walked down to the beach and Blair was about to sit down till Brett stopped her. He reached in and grabbed a blanket and spread it out across the beach. Blair was speechless at his chivalry, and just instinctively giggled.

The sun was beginning to set; they sat there together and watched the sunset together. Blair was starting to get hungry but she ignored it; Brett was doing what they were always doing, but this felt so special. If Brett were to bring out her favorite food then she would not be able to hold herself back. She was so in love, and it was her perfect guy; she wondered if Jaden could have been this good. She quickly forgot that and remembered that she was now with Brett, and everything was perfect.

Jasmine was watching from the upper cliff; she held a branch in her left hand. Her grip tightened around till the branch broke; she was so angry that Brett was not with her. She did not now why she was attracted, but it did not matter at this point. He should be hers she thought; she imagined kissing him. Then her mind drifted deeper into thoughts about having him, and then Jasmine lost her balance.

The brown haired girl slipped and fell downwards landing on her knees in the sand. Both Brett and Blair turned around to see the girl kneeling in the sand with a bright red face. Blair told Jasmine to leave her boyfriend alone, and again she found herself packing up and leading Brett off. Jasmine was really embarrassed, but there was no way she was giving up. Brett was an amazing prize to her; she wanted him and she would not give up.

They arrived at the abandoned dorm; she led him in and they laid the blanket down. "Sorry Brett for us doing this here, but it will be quiet here." She had closed her eyes as she spoke; then Brett's hands were placed on her shoulder. "You don't have to apologize Blair; this is where we first really admitted we liked one another. This place is very important to me because of that, and I think it is right we ended up here."

A tear came to Blair's eyes; Brett reached and pulled out a dinner that astounded his girlfriend and that was sure to delight her senses. There were golden egg sandwiches, chocolate cheesecake, spicy peppers, bottled water, sweet drinks, and other things that interested both of them but the young blue haired girl could not fathom when he had time to do all this. "Brett; when did you get all of this ready for today?" Brett waited for a moment before responding; "I made this in some spare time I had. I really wanted you to enjoy this first date."

Blair began to cry about this touching gesture of pure love, to her it was perfect. "Brett that is so beautiful that you did this for us! Next time we go on a date I get to cook for you though." Brett agreed and she scouted over so they sat beside one another. Around the corner stood Samantha; tears poring down her face while she listened to all of the happiness Blair had because of Brett. She clenched a knife in her hands, while she worked up the courage to do what she needed.

The knife's handle was being squeezed with all of Samantha's might. She really wanted to see Blair dead; her hatred for Blair had flowered into a serious obsession that she needed to die. She wanted to see Blair dead in cold blood; then she could have Brett. That was it; she was ready and moved forward when a black portal appeared behind her. A black gloved hand reached out and covered her mouth; no sound could be heard as she was pulled back into the portal.

The date continued blissfully unaware of Samantha; the two ate a verity of food, but Brett had brought so many of her favorites that it was impossible for her to refuse. She was just overwhelmed, and she loved it; Blair even got her boyfriend to try a few of her favorites. Each took turns spoon feeding the other and it was fun playing with the other; they ate the hole packed dinner in the single sitting. The golden eggs were fantastic; the spicy food was spicy for Blair; which she loved, and the cheesecake was like a beautiful dream in terms of taste.

They finished and they packed up; they left out the front and sat down in the field. Blair rested her head on his shoulder. It was nighttime and the sky was clear; there were hundreds of stars visible, and they both thought it was so romantic. Blair was feeling very attracted to Brett; all the special things continually proved that it was not just a physical attraction, but rather true love.

Soon they lay down for about an hour; Blair had her right arm over Brett's body. Her left arm was underneath her neck; she still looked up at the starry sky. Brett's body warmth felt good since the air was a little chilly. Suddenly a bright star burst and began to shoot across the sky. Both of them sat up and watched it; Blair looked to Brett and spoke. "Brett; look a shooting star! It's so beautiful… they say if you make a wish that it will come true so maybe you should."

"I already have, and its about to come true."

Blair turned and their eyes locked; his right hand touched her left cheek. Blair's eyes slowly closed and she leaned forward, while Brett did the same thing. They inched together, while the shooting star came through the earth's atmosphere. The tension mounted and Blair could no longer wait for this event; she moved forward and they finally shared their first real kiss with there lips finally meeting.

The star hit the ground just as their lips locked; they both melted into the kiss. Blair could feel Brett's firm but smooth lips on hers; she never wanted this feeling to leave, and neither did Brett. Blair's hands found the back of his head and gently pulled him in closer. She ignored his bump and so did Brett; they were too deeply captivated by this kiss.

After half a minute they parted lips; Blair was still blushing and her body was tingling with excitement. If he had tried to go a little further she would have let him, but Brett was not that hasty and she loved that it was possible to be trusting. She had never been so excited about anything. This date had exceeded her expectations, and it was finally set in her mind; this was the man she would spend the rest of her life with. This was true love…

They traveled back to Blair's room; they forgot about changing and Blair stayed in her Slifar Red outfit. They lay down in bed for a moment before Blair rolled up onto Brett stomach. Brett was a little surprised to have her on top of him, but it was not like he did not enjoy it. "Brett can I ask you one thing?" Brett nodded and she continued; "could we have another kiss like that one…"

His hand pulled her head down till they shared another kiss; this time Blair was caught off guard. Soon she was kissing back and then Brett went another step. She could feel his mouth wrapping around her lips and she tried the same. She was enjoying this much more and soon they parted. Blair was out of breath and was slightly turned on. She moved off Brett and she got into her sleeping position right beside him.

Blair was on her side; she had one arm under his neck and the other over his chest. Her leg wrapped around Brett's thigh; her head lay close to Brett's head. She was going to fall asleep tonight; she was certain of two things. One Brett was perfect for her, and two that he was hers. "Thank you so much Brett… I absolutely love you, and I'm really going to be with you forever… I'm so glad I found you…"

Brett felt the exact same way; "Blair I absolutely love you too; I will always be with you. You know you have my heart…" Blair heard those words and fell asleep immediately; her dreams and thoughts were of Brett and she had never been happier. Brett fell asleep as well; unaware of what had come back to them.

Slowly a figure rose out of the crater on Duel Academy Island; the crater was created by the shooting star. Syrus rushed over to see what had happened; the figure stood up and the moonlight revealed the person's face. Jaden stood there; back from the other dimension with a much more mature look. The real story was just about to begin that would seal this era …


	11. Chapter 8 Curse of the Exia

Chapter 8 Curse of the Exia

Chapter 8 Curse of the Exia

"Aura; the time is now… the Erasers must be moved into position to claim or destroy the Exia. Jenova is making her move now, and we must be ready for every possibility. I cannot risk losing this Exia, not when I'm this close to achieving my own goals. So many pieces are moving against me… so little time and always being watched by the gods. That is why you are here, so go and bring him back, or his head as a trophy; I'm counting on you…"

"Yes Balance… my master…"

The sun shown into Blair's room; it hit Brett's eye and finally woke him from his slumber. His body was causing him a great amount of pain, but he knew in a few short hours he would finally get checked by the nurse. Brett was starting to become increasingly worried about it; this morning it felt much harder to keep the pain at bay. His power was beginning to loss its effect and he was losing sleep; Brett had been holding it back for over a full week; it was taking too much effort, and he did not have any idea how much longer he could last.

Any mistake could cripple him for good, and then Blair began to slowly wake causing Brett to yet again mask the pain. She moved a little at a time; Brett had noticed she was in the exact same position she was in when she fell asleep. Her leg was wrapped around his, and her eyes fluttered and opened. She smiled at him; she had grown so close to him, and that is how she felt. Last night was beyond her expectations, and she still wanted more which she would get since she knew he was not going to leave her.

"So was I good last night at kissing?" Blair asked with a bashful face; Brett forced a smile despite the pain. "Of course you were, and soon we will have to go on our second date." Blair was happy with his excitement over a second date; there was no way she would pass up a second one. "I cannot wait; last night was so perfect! It was exactly how I always though a first date should go."

No pause was needed and Blair felt relief; she was worried that Brett may have been falling for Jasmine. Now her fears had been put to rest; it was nearly nine a clock, and Blair knew she had to get ready. She got up and flipped her hair to try and make it slightly neater. Brett stayed perfectly sill; he was unsure if getting up would cause more pain. Blair looked back and just figured he was still tired or waking up from a wonderful slumber.

Quickly she grabbed some clothes and bunched them together so Brett could not see. "Hey Brett I'm just going to go for a shower, and when I can get back we can go. Also I will be wearing something special for you; as a thank you for last night." She walked over to give him a kiss; when she leaned Brett put his hand on the back of her head.

Brett gave her another kiss like last nights that she craved; soon they stooped leaving Brett to say something romantic. "Blair I'm your boyfriend now; you do not have to worry about me leaving you. I'm going to be right here waiting, you're just way to damn cute all the time."

Blair was giddy as a schoolgirl and bounded off to the door giving Brett one last wink before she opened the door to leave. Then for no reason the pain came rushing back, and this time it was easily ten times more powerful then before. The pain crippled his entire body, and every second was agonizing torture. Brett lifted his arm to try and signal Blair; he prayed for her to turn around and help him. He forced his mouth open to yell anything, but only silent gasps escaped his parched throat.

The door shut; leaving Brett to writhe in an unbelievable amount of pain. All of his body was shutting down with no control left in his body. The feeling in different places disappeared leaving no feeling of the soft sheets, but there was still the pain, the unbelievable excruciating pain. Muscles spasms plagued his arms and legs; his limbs whipped in every direction without any control from Brett. No matter the amount of pain that felt like nails being driven into his mind; he could not scream or do anything to relieve the pressure. Blair walked away from the room; blissfully unaware of what was going on.

The alarm continued to buzz in Axel's room; he finally rolled over and woke up rubbing his still half shut eye. His other hand crashed down on the clock; ending the aggravation of the alarm. He looked at the time, and almost instantly he was fully awake with an alarmingly panicked voice. "Oh damn! I have to find Brett; I should have been up ages ago; I need to get him to a doctor before things get any worse… this is not good….."

Axel changed quickly; forgetting to shower or his deck. Nothing took priority over this task; if things continued it was his fault for not doing anything. He ran out of the dorm and immediately noticed Chazz standing around. "Hey Chazz; you seen Brett at all? Come on this an emergency!"

Chazz looked at Axel all confused about why he was being asked this question; "what do I look like..? His girlfriend? Why don't you go ask Blair; course you would probably find her attached to him anyway!" Axel would have laughed if not being in such a rush, but left halfway through Chazz's speech.

Axel ran all the way to the girls dorm as fast as he could move, and yet Brett was no where to be seen. Axel ran over to the girl standing guard and began questioning her. "Hey is Brett here?"

The obelisk girl stuck her nose up to Axel, and snap fully told Axel that it was none of his business. Axel tried to protest his situation to the guard, but was getting no where at all. He could blow by her, but feeling anxious to keep his promise caused Axel to try his case again in a more desperate voice. "Come on this is serious! I got a friend who may be in danger!" The girl simply looked her nails over and yawned, giving Axel's story no attention what so ever.

Blair came out of the shower wearing her Obelisk Blue uniform; she knew Brett would love it, and if he liked it then she would wear it. Brett was so important that she would do anything within the comfort zone for him. To her Brett was a keeper, and Blair never felt bad so long as he was with her. She took one last deep breath and got ready to go back in to Brett with her uniform. Just when she was making sure she was looking her best, did she hear Alexis's voice filled with excitement. "Blair you have to hear the news!"

Alexis's voice was so ecstatic that Blair had no idea what had caused this, but the smile on Alexis's face was so bright that it must be good. "Jaden is back Blair; I do not know how, but he is back!" Blair smiled at the idea that her friend was back; Jasmine and Mindy came running up behind Alexis, but Blair thought how happy this would make her guy. "Brett is going to be so happy that Jaden is back!" Blair stated and turned away, and started running to tell Brett the news; with the other three girls following close behind.

Blair stopped in front of her door to regain her composure. She took one last deep breath before she burst through the door; "Brett I have great news for you…"

Then Blair's statement froze, along with the other three girls to the sight before them. Brett lay on the bed; his body twitched and spasms violently. His visible body was drenched in sweat and he was writhing in pain.

Alexis backed up and froze; the sight scarred her half to death. Mindy ran out of the room and called for help from anyone, and soon Jasmine ran out to after the initial shock; screaming for any aid. Blair was speechless; she could not cry or even make a sound at this sight. She ran over, and she was in a complete panic. His eyes looked over at her and Blair put her hands on his head trying to hopefully do anything for him. She pulled away a second later from the heat; he was burning up, and Blair was scared for his life.

The cries for help traveled down the dorm till they reached the entrance; Axel froze in terror and figured he was to late already. He quickly rushed the guard knocking her to the ground, and ran past all the girls who were frozen from the screams for help. He arrived at Blair's room the same time as Mrs. Fontaine, and Axel had a very serious look about him. They both entered and could not believe the sight of Brett lying there and uncontrollably writhing. Blair kept telling Brett to hold in between her sobs, her mind just could not bare to see this.

Everyone's hearts were being hurt by this display; to see their friend or loved one like this was painful, but especially painful for Blair. Every second of pain he experienced was causing her pain in her heart. Axel stood in the doorway; his fist closed tightly and his teeth grinded together because of the sense that he caused this. It was his fault this had happened; he should have gotten help while there was time, but he did not and Bret was suffering because of it.

The movement did not stop once; Blair put her hand onto Brett's forehead despite the heat to support him. The other girls got beside him and offered their support however they thought was best. Gasps of air escaped Brett's mouth in place of words, thew ability to speak was now gone permanently. Blair squeezed Brett's hand with her other hand tightly, just trying to comfort him while Mrs. Fontaine checked him over.

Mrs. Fontaine inspected all the signs, but she had never seen anything this advanced in terms of a disease. Nothing she had come across looked this bad, and she knew about what Brett was. This had crippled him and was wrecking his body, a body Fontaine had marveled at earlier. Every second that passed things seemed to be getting worse for Brett. Mrs. Fontaine slammed her fists into the edge of the bed in frustration. "I have no clue what it is; I cannot help him. I have never seen anything this bad before, I do not think we can save him even if we had a full hospital."

"There has to be something; anything that you could do for him!" Blair shouted, but she only shook her head before she regained her composure. "We need to get him to the infirmary at least, and right away!"

Axel could not take all this waiting around any longer, and ran in to pick Brett up off the bed. "Come on, let's get moving now!"

The commanding voice caused everyone to move, Axel was careful to keep Brett safely in his arms but moved quickly. All of them left the dorm running to the infirmary not wanting to waste more time. Blair was right beside Brett the whole time; his eyes were still open looking at her. His eyes expressed the suffering soul lying beneath everything, and all she could do was to tell him to hold on.

Alexis pulled out her PDA and typed a message informing their other friends about what was happening. Syrus, Chazz, and Hasleberry all checked the message; even Chazz was worried to the message's severity, and they all went quickly to the infirmary. Axel was slowed down by the constant writhing of Brett's body; he tried to hold Brett in an effort to stop it but it was nearly impossible. Brett was stronger then he was, but Axel would not give up since he had failed Brett once already.

The PDA beeped in Jaden's room, but he was in no mood to answer it. Since his return he had felt distant from his friends, and he began to think that it was wrong for him to be here. In the other dimension he had proved how much of a danger he was, and he would keep that danger away from his friends. He ignored the email and continued to lie in his bed blissfully unaware of what was transpiring. He never imagined the severity of the email, but Jaden could not bring that danger to his friends.

Axel entered the Infirmary and set Brett down on the closest bed. Mrs. Fontaine turned on the lights; she quickly prepped a needle filled with a drug that would subdue the pain. She inserted it into Brett; she was praying for it to relieve the pain, but once injected it yielded no noticeable effects of relief. Brett's clothes were completely drenched with his sweat and clinging to his body; Mrs. Fontaine hooked Brett up to an intravenous so his fluid levels could stay high.

A second the intravenous was hooked in, and Brett's back arched from the pain of more fluid his body loathed. He let out a scream that was heard throughout the entire school; the cream caused Blair's heart to skip a beat and she was scared. Every student was shaken by the long powerfully frightening scream. Brett stopped screaming only to collapse back to the bed bellow; his eyes shut and all movement stopped. Only slight breathing could be heard, and everyone wondered if the worst was over.

Alexis watched Blair and knew what a hard time she was having; she walked over and put her hands on Blair's shoulders. The effort was nice, but it was not helping Blair at all. Blair was helpless to do anything to help him, even after all the times he saved her. Syrus, Hasleberry, and Chazz all arrived, but they were not ready for the sight. No one could speak any words; Alexis waited but Jaden did not come.

"Did any of you see Jaden?" Alexis asked, and the three guys shook their heads no. "What is wrong with him? His friend is suffering and he is off pouting and ignoring us. What kind of…" Chazz said but stooped when he got overly frustrated. Chazz pulled his PDA and began to send more messages to Jaden.

The multiple beeps finally forced the last Slifar duelist up; he looked at his PDA and saw the multitude of messages. He opened the newest one, and tossed his PDA to the ground before he quickly ran out of the room towards the school. He arrived minutes later at the Infirmary; the sight of his friend was more then he could bear.

Most of friends had not seen him to this point in time, and he looked different. He still had mostly the same hairstyle, but he looked older. His appearance and expression was so much more mature. It was Jaden, and yet it was not him. This young man was different from the person everyone one knew and lover, but now was not the time for Jaden's story.

Alexis ran over and hugged Jaden; "I was afraid you were not going to come. It is good to see you Jaden; Brett is in a lot of trouble… just like always." Jaden however did little in return to Alexis's comments, and was here only because of the severity. He was a lot more serious then most remembered him, but now other things were taking priority. Brett's temperature was steadily rising. Everyone was feeling powerless; the color was fading fast from his nails and cheeks.

Each minute things were getting worse; Jaden was pulled aside and got all of the information. He was overwhelmed at all the news about Brett and even the changes happening to everyone else. Jaden was shocked to all the news but distant, but now that he knew about how close Brett was with Blair, it was only harder. He walked over and tried to comfort Blair, but nothing made her any happier. She was going to stay at his side till he got better, no matter how long it took.

A few minutes later Mrs. Fontaine slammed her hands down on her desk after examining her medical books. "Damnit; how can I help him; If I cannot even diagnose this disease? Nothing even comes close, and there is no time to get him to a hospital."

Everyone tried to ignore the statement, but this disease was an absolute mystery. Even Chazz was trying hard to think of anything that could help, but he could only get angry at his powerlessness. "This is not some kind of disease that you can cure with medicine…"

Everyone turned to the sound of the deep voice drew everyone's attention. Blair got up, but the man she saw was incredibly familiar; except for his long brown hair. "Brett?" She asked; the man looked at her and shook his head.

He walked forward; his black robe made him seem like a villain to Blair. She at first found herself not wanting to let this man near her boyfriend, but then she noticed his face was the same as Brett's. He walked over to Brett, but he spoke revealing a deeper more mature version of Brett's voice. "My name is Siarnaq; I'm like Brett… We are of the same race, but I'm the one whose power comes from darkness. This behind me is Misora…" Misora came out from behind him and bowed to them; she walked over and sat nearby.

The white complexion of the woman's face was only as bland as her expression. She wore a black trench coat, and she looked very unhappy in general. Misora kept an eye on Siarnak most of the time; looking to him to see if he was looking at her. Siarnaq never gave her a glance, and Blair was not enjoying this man's presence seeing how he had no love for his companion. Blair could not understand how someone could not show any emotion, Siarnaq was only serious and started to explain the situation.

"Listen I know all of your hearts ache for him, but there is nothing any of you can do; this is not a normal disease. Even I have just learned about it, and I may be the only one who can save him; so please let me explain... He has evolved far too fast for his body to be prepared, and now his excess of power is destroying his body from the inside. All of his bodily functions will shut down; only if his body has time to evolve could it have stopped this, but he did not have time. I do not yet know the cure; what I need is a quiet place to translate, read, and process the information in this notebook."

Before Siarnaq could blink; Mrs. Fontaine had grabbed his arm and led the essentially older version of Brett to a quiet place. Blair did not want to leave Brett's side, but felt she had to. Blair ran up to him and grabbed his arm; "please hurry, I just do not want to lose him. You just have to save his life; no matter what, I won't let my Brett die!"

Blair was in tears and Siarnaq now understood Brett's motivation now. "I promise you all I will do everything in my power to save him. Please do what ever you think will help him survive this time. If anything will help him through this; it will be all of you…"

Mrs. Fontaine did not enjoy seeing Blair this upset, and pulled Siarnaq off into a quiet room. There he stayed for hours; nothing was heard from him. He read quickly through the text book; gathering information. He processed it all quickly, but there seemed to be no sign of any kind of cure. The notebook talked about some key problems, but solutions were few and far between.

Misora had introduced her self and explained how she had arrived here. She was saved by Siarnaq when she was moments away from death. She now felt like she owed him her very life, but she was depressed about her situation. Mrs. Fontaine kept giving Brett medicine to lower his fever; she then gave him drugs to get rid of his pain, but some twitching still happened. With each dosage that failed to yield real results

The fever reached new heights beyond belief; Brett's temperature hit 125 degrees Fahrenheit. All the color slowly faded from his cheeks, and all of his color faded from his skin. His head and chest were burning, but his limbs were absolutely frozen. Even his hair color was starting to turn white; it was like all the life was leaving his body and leaving him a ghost. Blair was having her heart torn apart from the sight, but she would not leave him. Her hand has on his chest, and she knew that he would get through this.

Alexis turned to see Jaden leaving; she ran out to stop him when Brett started to violently shake and cough. Mrs. Fontaine ran over and pushed him onto his side; Brett vomited onto the bed, despite the fact he had nothing in his stomach since last night. The girls cleaned him up and Mrs. Fontaine put Blair in charge of keeping a cold compress on his head at all times. Even a fresh cold cloth did not take long to overheat and need to be cooled, things seemed to no end to be getting worse.

Jaden turned and continued to walk away and Alexis grabbed his arm. "Why are you leaving, Brett needs are help now more then ever and you are just leaving?" She paused and hoped for Jaden to be the hero and stay. "I just cannot bear to see him like this Alexis… I cannot deal with this right now." Jaden broke free from her grip and walked off; she was hurt but knew Jaden had his own problems.

The rag was constantly kept cold by Blair for the next few hours; she sat on the clean side of the bed beside his head. The fact that she was helping made it much easier on her; Axel finally got up and started apologizing; "AGH! This is all my fault; I'm so sorry Brett! And I'm so sorry to you to Blair; I knew about this yesterday, and did nothing! I promised to help him today and I failed; I just cannot take this any more!"

"It's not your fault, no one could stop this. At least I had yesterday with him." Alexis ran over to Blair and made her look into Alexis's eyes. "Blair please do not say that; he will be fine, I promise. Please do not give up; he would not have lasted this long if he did not have you. He is holding on for you, and I promise he will be alright." Blair appreciated the thought, but it was hard to believe at this point.

Three more hours passed before they heard someone come running into the room. Siarnaq burst in with the book firmly in his hand. Everyone looked up with anticipation; Siarnaq looked at Brett and knew time was running very short. "I know how we can save him; there is only one way to save him."

Blair shot up; no matter how hard it was; she was ready to do anything. Siarnaq took one last deep breath before telling them the solution. "We need to perform a soul bonding ceremony; or he will not survive much longer…"


	12. Chapter 9 Soul Bonding

Chapter 9 Soul Bonding, The Last Chance to Save a Life

Chapter 9 Soul Bonding, The Last Chance to Save a Life

"What is soul bonding?" Alexis asked; Siarnaq let out a long sigh. "This is a very uncertain thing; soul bonding can do more damage then good if not done correct. We must be certain, but unfortunately it is looking like we have no choice. I would say he has a couple hours before everything shuts down and…" Alexis got tired of hearing the doom say, and she interrupted Siarnaq. "Then we do not have time to waste!"

A nod was offered from Siarnaq as an apology before he began to speak. "We do not have time, but you all must know this. Soul Bonding requires strong souls; these souls must be close in emotion. They cannot hate one another; devotion can create a very strong bond, but many things can cause the reverse. If the soul is weak, or loses the connection between the two then the person who needs the bond will wither away to nothing."

Blair's dedication suddenly dropped after hearing that while everyone else was listening inventively. "There are two key people in this procedure. The first is the dependant; the person that needs the bond. The second person is called the bonded; they offer the support the dependant needs. In return the bonded is gifted with the strength of the dependant. In Brett's case; the most likely benefits will be immortality, and eternal youth, but it is almost impossible to predict what will happen, but you will be rewarded for your actions. The key thing is that this is a sharing of strengths; you must truly care for the individual and have to be certain."

Siarnaq gave a brief pause before he continued; Blair's uncertainty was wavering in and out as she listened. "With all of the positives being said; you must be certain, and take this serious. You are responsible for his life, and if you are not doing this for the right reason, he will suffer immensely. This bond is permanent; it is eternal and forever as far as my research leads me to believe. Once the bond is done it can never be undone; you must be dedicated to the cause of saving Brett's life. I know it sounds daunting, but someone has to do it or Brett will die, there is no questioning that."

Jasmine could no longer hold back her question; "what if the bonded stops loving them, or just falls out of love with him?"

Siarnaq looked up to the roof; trying to work up the courage to answer. "Then the dependant will suffer, but to tell the truth; I have no idea about this. I can perform the bonding, but I do not know what will happen. I have never seen a bond like this; this bond may end up eternal till the two break apart. I'm sorry, but I cannot give you a real answer; I'm sorry. So who will be the bonded?"

Everyone knew who the right choice was; Alexis looked at her and decided to speak for her. "Come on there is no doubt Blair is the best choice for this; she loves Brett, and I know how much she cares so none of us will need to worry. I don' think Brett would want anyone else to save him."

Blair was listening but she was very uncertain, and her mind kept making her unsure the more she thought. There was no answer; Siarnaq could sense the uncertainty in Blair and he needed to stop this. "If you are uncertain; then forget it. I'm sorry… you cannot be his support; I cannot allow you to be Brett's soul bond partner. It's a shame; I wanted you to be the one, but you are just not committed from what I can sense. I cannot risk any other Exia dying, and therefore with your doubt you will only jeopardize his life… I'm really sorry."

The words hit Blair hard; not because they were unkind, but because they were right. Blair started to cry the hardest she ever had in her life; she apologized to everyone before she ran out of the room. She ran at an incredible pace; her hair whipped from side to side while she tried to whip the tears that were poring down her face. She was so angry at how weak she was, but there was no way she could support Brett. She could not be angrier at her self; she had failed Brett the guy she could have had a real future with.

Alexis was speechless; never did she expect Blair to run away from this. Alexis knew that she had to help, and an instant later she took after Blair. She ran after Blair and did not hold anything back; this was more important then anything else in the world to her.

Jasmine knew that she could do it, and stepped up with more determination no then she ever had previously. "I will do it; I love him and I will support him forever. I know I can do this, and there is no doubt in my mind that I can do this!"

"… Very well; if you are that sure, but we are running low on time. Next we need four support souls; they only need to be around and care for the individuals bit mostly the person who needs this. We must have four suitable candidates or we cannot do this." Axel waited another instant after Siarnaq finished before he spoke up. "I will do it, and I know Alexis will to…. I will support him no matter how what and I'm certain Alexis feels the exact same way!"

The certainty in Axel's voice made it apparent that he was right for the job. Siarnaq already knew Alexis would do it, but there was another problem. "That is good, but unless Alexis can change Blair's mind we will need two more." Hasleberry was going to wait by while his friend withered and died. "I will do it; I'm tired of sitting back and doing nothing. I would be proud to help out a friend; I want Blair to be happy no matter what, and Brett to."

That left them one short; "Jaden should be the last. Out of all of us he has a strong relation with Brett; he should be the one." Chazz finished talking and Syrus ran to the entrance; "I will go ask Jaden! I promise I will find out really quick so worry about something else for now." Syrus took off running as fast as his little short legs would let him, he needed to hurry or it may be to late.

"That is good; we will have four souls, but sadly that is not all we need. We need certain things and we need to get them quickly for the ceremony. This is only a guess, but Brett has about two hours to live; then everything will shut down and… no; never mind. We need to prep this room now; we need open space and it is certain that we cannot move him. We will need to make as much room as possible."

Siarnaq, Hasleberry, Chazz, and Axel got to work and tossed beds out of the way. Soon a large area was clear that Siarnaq was satisfied with. "Excellent; this will do, but we are still far from done. I will need some kind of ink or paint to do the symbol, and it has to be gotten first. Time is needed to finish the symbol, and we are running out. Next we will need candles for fire; we will also need earth, water, and wind. It has to be moving air so find something to keep are moving in close proximity; some sort of fan would be perfect."

Mindy told everyone she knew where to find the paint, and ran off like a shot. Chazz and Hasleberry volunteered to wind the rest of what was needed. Siarnaq already was impressed with the friends Brett had crafted from nothing, what was more was how dedicated they were to saving him. Siarnaq went over to check on Brett; his skin was ghost white, and he was still sweating despite how many fluids he had already lost.

Jasmine was standing there watching Brett for a second till Axel grabbed her firmly and pulled the spunky girl off to the side. "Come on you; we have to go find Blair and Alexis right now and fix this." Jasmine was nervous at the idea, but she was pulled along with the fiery haired man. Axel did not want Jasmine to be the one bonded unless it was a last resort, and there was still time.

Blair was running faster then she thought she ever could; tears were still coming from her eyes uncontrollably. Alexis slowly caught up with her; she closed in and reached out and grabbed Blair's hand. Alexis pulled Blair back, but she did not want to deal with this. Blair struggled and fought till Alexis pulled her and wrapped her in her arms, and against her body.

Blair continued to struggle, but no matter the amount of effort she struggled back with; she could not break free of Alexis's grip. Blair was far to tired from crying and running away from her problems, and she gave up slowly continuing to sob. Blair was caught in a hug she could not escape; slowly Alexis tried to calm her down by shushing in Blair's ear. Alexis let her out of her grasp; Blair looked at her for a moment with her face that was red and her hair was all messy, and she looked away from her embarrassment in her failure.

"Blair why did you not be Brett's support; I thought of all people you would jump at the idea of being there for Brett. You always were after Jaden for a while, and you said you wanted to be with him, and I did not like you because of that, but… when I saw how much Brett was in love with you and after everything he has done; I just cannot believe you are doing this… you are still in love with hi, right?"

Alexis was desperately hoping that Blair was still in love with him; she did not want these two to break up. Blair was still crying, but she worked up the strength to answer. "I do love him; I love him more then anything else. I want to help him; I really do!"

"Then why are you running away?" Alexis asked with a powerful voice; this was not making any sense, but then Blair gave an answer that stunned her. "Why? Because I'm not strong enough; I'm so afraid that I will not be strong enough for him. I'm afraid that I cannot do what I have too; I just will not be able to do it. I'm not strong like you or Jasmine; I can never be that strong. I'm afraid to fail him; there is no way that I could live with myself if I fail this. How could I ever live with that!"

"Blair I don't buy that for a second; despite what I thought of you at first I have learned you are really strong. I really don't want to see you two break up, so what is the real reason?" Alexis asked, but she was not ready for the devastating answer that came next from Blair. "Because…! Because I'm not even sure Brett loves me! I know you will say anything to save him, but I'm just so afraid that Brett loves someone else. I'm afraid he loves Jasmine! Why not, she is stronger then me, and she is more mature, and she is a way better duelist… I love him so much that I want him to be with who he should be with… and its not me!!"

"Blair…" Alexis tried to answer, but could not find a way to complete a whole sentence. This was hurting her almost as much as the pain in Blair's heart, the worst thing that haunted Alexis was the feeling she caused this. "Don't say anything! I saw it so many times; Brett was always being so nice to her. I saw them holding hands, and she was always so angry at me for being with him. I was a fool to think that someone as great as Brett would love me! Of course I'm so stupid though; I did not even realize Brett liked me when I met him…"

Alexis's heart and conscience was tearing her apart; this was partly her fault and she had to come clean. "Oh god Blair…! I'm so sorry; I'm so incredibly sorry! This is all my fault! I was the one who asked Brett to be nice to Jasmine. I'm so sorry; he was only being so nice because of me." Blair stopped crying, but she was still unconvinced; "no Brett loves Jasmine. I'm an idiot to think anyone could even like me; it's always the same with me! Nobody has ever really liked me, and I'm an idiot for believing in true love; because all it does is break your heart."

Jasmine had heard the whole thing, and without Axel she walked forward towards Blair. Tears started to form in Jasmine's eyes before she spoke. "Blair… I don't know what to say… I have to apologize; I thought it was a good idea at the time, but I know I was very wrong. I forced my self onto Brett; I tried to take your place, but there is only room in his heart for you. I had no idea you cared about him that much, and I never thought you were that serious…"

The words sunk in, and Blair's expression was still sad but angry at the same time. She bolted forward using her open right hand to slap Jasmine across the face. The sound echoed through the hallways of the school from the loud slap. Jasmine's face quivered and her cheek was bright red; the force had caught Jasmine off guard, and Jasmine's face trembled before tears ran down her face.

"Why the hell did you do that! I was apologizing and I really am so incredibly sorry! I was begging for your forgiveness and this is how you treat me!" Jasmine yells echoed in the halls, but Blair had never been so angry. She was not going to take it and started to yell at her friend. "That does not make what you did go away! You made me doubt him; you made me doubt my self, and even in what I believed! Nothing you say can ever make that right! NOTHING!"

Blair was yelling with all her force; her throat was dry from all the crying but she still powered through, it was worth the effort even with how hard it was. Her anger was overcoming all of her weakness; "I cannot believe you Jasmine! You are suppose to be my friend, and you do this! I'm so incredibly mad that I just cannot even express it!"

Jasmine was in tears; it was true and she knew it. She knew that she was horrible, but her pride was getting in the way. "I'm sorry! But you do not know what it is like to watch someone have something that they brag about all the time! I disserve that kind of happiness too… but I was wrong in what I did. I know I don't disserve it but please you have to be the one… I still want you and Brett as my friend."

Jasmine calmed down and stopped yelling; Blair was so incredibly angry, but the sight of her friend in tears brought her back. Alexis was hoping for a peaceful resolution to this problem; slowly Blair took a breath and was ready to talk. "I want you to swear that you will never do something like this ever. Brett is my boyfriend, and I will stay by him forever no matter what happens. So promise me…"

Blair did not have to finish and Jasmine shouted to her; "I swear; I'm so sorry Blair… I swear I won't ever get between you two again, just please I don't want you to be hurt this badly because of me…"

"No I should not be there; Brett was happy to be with me, but he always seemed to be just forcing it." Axel stepped out of the darkness; it was time to tell Blair the truth. "Blair; the reason for that Brett was never that happy is because of how much he was suffering from this. He was using all of his strength to hold back the pain since he got back, and I just learned of this the other day… and I told no one. He has been doing it to spend time with you; he was suffering so he could spend time with you. That is how much he loves you Blair, you have to believe me when I say this is the truth…"

Axel stopped when he heard Blair laughing; "that sound exactly like Brett. I thought he changed, but he is still the same person that I fell in love with. I'm so sorry Brett for doubting you; you really are perfect for me. I love him so much, and he absolutely loves me; I never should have doubted him, but I swear I will make it up to him. Brett I really truly love you for all eternity and I will never doubt you again…!"

Alexis was so incredibly happy, but she was still wondering if Blair would go through with it. "Does that mean that you will…" but Alexis did not even have to finish. Blair turned around with a small smile across her face. She nodded that she would and everyone had a huge smile across her face. "Then let's stop wasting time; Brett needs us and we are going to come through for him before it is too late."

The four of ran back to the infirmary; Siarnaq had everything he needed and Brett was lying in the center on the same bed. To Brett's right was a second bed, and the floor was painted with a detailed symbol. Siarnaq looked down on his work; he inspected it carefully. Any missing details could mess everything up, but it was correct with no flaws. Everything had been gathered, and all that was needed were the support of Brett's friends.

The group of four ran into the infirmary, but was careful not to mess up the symbol on the floor. They went over to Siarnaq; Blair was ready to speak up for the one she loved. "I'm going to be the one Brett will be bonded to; I love him and I will stay by his side forever. I no we are perfect and that what we have can last forever!" Blair's voice was filled with strength, and immediately Siarnaq could tell she was perfect. The way she spoke was so confidant and strong that this would work for certain.

"I'm glad that you chose to do this; you truly are the perfect person for him, but now you have the strength to do this. I truly wanted you to be the one; Brett told me about you Blair. He was so incredibly in love with you then, and it makes me happy to see you love him so much. Blair; do you know what a natural soul bond is, and how it was formed?"

Blair was speechless from Siarnaq's words; all she could do is shake her head no in response. "A natural soul bond is when two individuals care so much, and love each other so much that they form a soul bond with no ceremony. Nothing is needed but there love, and it gives them immense strength and support. Their souls are forever connected, but it needs to soul mates that are truly meant to be together. It really does need a relationship that is that strong, and you and Brett are that kind of pair. You are soul mates; do you know why I'm telling this?"

Blair could only shake her head, but she was hoping the answer was what she wanted it to be. "It is because you two are soul mates destined to be together, and that is no lie. You two have not only formed a natural soul bond, but it is the strongest natural soul bond I have ever come across in a thousand years. But we need to get moving; please lay down on the bed beside him, and put your hand over his."

Blair was careful not to mess the symbol; she got up on the bed and lay down next to Brett. Her left hand touched his right hand; his hand was absolutely frozen. She wanted to squeeze it, but she had to follow the instructions. Chazz's PDA went off when he received an email. He opened it and cursed Jaden's name; everyone else was puzzled till Chazz filled them in.

"Syrus says that Jaden is not coming; he just refuses to and he will not give a reason." Siarnaq was frustrated; "we need a replacement now." Jasmine's ears perked up; "I will take Jaden's place. This is my chance to make up for everything that I have done; that is if it is ok with Blair."

Blair sat up and nodded; Jasmine was happy that she had not permanently burned a bridge with her new friend. Siarnaq took the four and placed them in a smaller circle within the symbol. Behind them he put their corresponding element. Alexis was water, Axel was Fire, Jasmine was wind, and Hasleberry was earth. Behind the appropriate person; Siarnaq placed a glass of water, a lit candle, a fan that was plugged in and turned on, and a jar of dirt and rocks.

Siarnaq came to a stop outside the circle, and told everyone else to stand back. He placed his hands together as if he was about to pray to the heavens, and with his deep voice he began the incantation. "Let the Soul Bonding begin; and let this poor soul find the support it needs. Let this poor soul be linked for all eternity; with this soul that truly wishes it to be so."

Words came from Siarnaq that were completely alien to those not involved in the ceremony. The symbol began to change color; slowly it brightened into a bright blue. The candle burned a way, and Axel was eclipsed in a red flame. The water amount of water increased exponentially, and soon Alexis was submerged in water that began to glow blue. The fan burst apart, and Jasmine was surrounded by glowing green torrent of wind that whipped her hair from side to side. And last was the earth that formed a giant glowing brown spire behind Hasleberry.

The incantation continued for minutes; slowly electricity started to spark from the circle. Energy built up in the seal; the color of the circle changed in to four portions. The circle was divided into a red, blue, green, and brown section. Siarnaq stopped his chanting and turned around; "now we will need to hope that this works. Brett is still dieing in there, but there is really nothing we can do; at this point it is a waiting game to see if the bond can form fast enough."

Mindy, Chazz, Mrs. Fontaine, and Misora all watched for the next hour. Time was nearly up, but Siarnaq had faith; he sat there meditating the whole hour. "Siarnaq; how long can this take?" Mrs. Fontaine asked, and Siarnaq opened his eyes slowly, while he spoke. "This can take many hours; it is all really dependant on a lot of things. How in equal the elements are, how strong their bonds are, and how well I did the ceremony. This is from an ancient race that is extinct; so I can only hope I have done it correctly."

"What is the fastest time you have ever seen anyone complete one of these?" Chazz asked while dreading the answer, while Siarnaq closed his eyes again. "The fastest I have ever seen was ten hours. The bond between the two was weak, but they said it usually takes two hours with an incredible bond. This will be close; I just hope I'm not overestimating here."

"What will happen if Brett dies before ceremony is complete?" asked Mindy with a very concerned voice. Siarnaq got up out of his meditative state and fully turned to the others; "I have seen many failures of this procedure. Every time; there was a chance that people inside would die, but that was when the people did not care for the person who needed it. That is not the case here, and you all just need to have a little more faith."

The four elements suddenly merged; the entire room shook and even Siarnaq was forced back. The air erupted with winds that were consistently getting faster. A dark veil fell over the portal; encasing the force in a dark dome. Inside the four colors had combined into a single bright light. "This is beyond belief; this should not be this strong!" Siarnaq shouted to the group.

The symbol stared to shrink towards the center; the center was directly bellow Blair's and Brett's overlapped hand. It passed through each of the four supporting people; taking their element with it, and causing them to collapse to the ground. The circle was erupting with massive force; Siarnaq was even finding it hard to contain such an amazing force. The power of the bond was amazing, and dwarfed many things Siarnaq had imagined possible from such a young Exia.

The circle shrunk till it was only around Blair and Brett; it traveled up off the ground till it was passing through the middle of their bodies. The circle shrunk till it was able to fit in both of their hands. Massive bolts of energy struck the dark dome, and then the symbol disappeared, and things inside the dome returned to normal.

The dome of darkness shattered; Siarnaq looked on with relief at what had been accomplished. "It is done; they will all be fine and he has all of you to thank." Siarnaq went back and sat down; the energy used to contain it all the power of the bond was more then he expected, and that had left him weak.

Mrs. Fontaine was first to run over and check Brett and Blair; they were both fine. Brett's color was returning fast; she breathed a sigh of relief. Jasmine, Hasleberry, Alexis, and Axel started to get up; most had a migraine from the procedure that was pulsing in their heads. Chazz and Mindy both ran over to help who they cared about most; the migraines quickly faded. Alexis was being comforted by Chazz while Mindy was at Jasmine's side, and the other two were by them selves.

In a matter of minutes they were fine; they all rushed to Blair and Brett's side. Brett was completely normal, and his body was completely healed and looking like a normal person should. Everyone could not help but smile at their success and the accomplishment. Alexis had one last thing she had to ask; "when will they wake up?"

Siarnaq was starring directly at them; he was a little unsure, but it was a little irrelevant. "It depends, but chances are they will be up in an hour tops. I have seen people go entire years in the comas these things can create. I doubt that they could cut it down more then an hour; especially considering how long it took to form the bond…" Siarnaq stopped when he heard hacking and coughing coming from Blair and Brett at the same time.

Slowly Blair got up like nothing had happened; she looked at her hand, but there was no mark. "There are no marks that will be on either of you; it is just for the ceremony. Even I'm amazed that you recovered so fast, but Brett will not have the same luxury. Make sure that he gets lots of rest, and does not to anything to strenuous for about a day. He needs some down time for his strength to return, but considering Brett, he will probably not be held back for so long…"

Everyone laughed, and then Brett coughed and gasped. Blair put her hand to his head; he settled down and stopped coughing. She felt like she really had helped him; then Brett opened his eyes. "Blair… What happened…?" Everyone else heard Brett's weak voice and rushed over to him. "Why are you all here? I don't remember what happened…"

His friends could only smile at his questions; they were so glad to see him alive and well again. Everything about him had returned to normal; all of the color was back, and his hair was back to normal as well. "Just relax Brett; I promise I will take care of you till you are feeling better; I'm just glad you are alright" Brett was confused; his entire memory of the events of today was not there, but he was happy to see Blair's smiling face again.

Brett was so incredibly tired; his body was weak, and everything felt weird. His head moved around; he looked over to see Siarnaq. He tried to open his mouth, but he did not have the strength. He struggled to stay up and Blair leaned over and kissed him on the lips. She whispered to him to just rest; her voice was so soothing to him, that he slowly laid down and fell right to sleep.

"Blair I have a favor to ask you; get him out of here, and take good care of him. There are only six Exia left in existence, and I do not want any more of the Exia to die…" Blair was confused about what he had called Brett. "I will; I promise that I will keep him safe and with me forever, but I thought he was a Weapon." Siarnaq shook his head before replying to the young maiden. "No he was never a Weapon; he is part of a very amazing race known as the Exia. I know I can, so I entrust his fate to you."

"I don't think you have to tell Blair to do that; we will all take good care of him…" Axel said with a smile; Siarnaq new what he was part of, but it was irrelevant at this point. "Amazing that he has found such a caring family; I now know why he fights so hard. I have one last favor to ask; where I'm going I cannot have anyone with me. I walk by my self; I cannot bring anyone with me. So I ask of you to take care of Misora for me..."

Mrs. Fontaine stepped up; she was so grateful that this small request of Siarnaq's was a mere pittance. "I promise we will find a place for her; it is such a small thing to ask. Is there nothing we can do for you?" Siarnaq shook his head and disappeared into a portal; Misora stood up and tried to run over to stop him, but was far too late. "Thank you Siarnaq; for giving me back my life."

Mrs. Fontaine escorted Misora out of the room; she was going to take their new guest to see the Chancellor. The Chancellor had been informed about Brett's condition regularly, but she needed to let him about this. She knew that the Chancellor would not refuse such a humble request. The Chancellor had been keeping Pegasus up to date on the status of his son; despite how busy he was, he still needed to know.

"Well you heard the man Blair; guess Brett is going to be a permanent resident with you. Guess we better get him back to your dorm…" Blair agreed to Axel's statement with enthusiasm. Their friend was safe and healthy; although tired and worn completely out. Axel got Brett up onto his back; and carried him all the way back to Blair's room so he could get some rest. Blair stayed beside him the whole time; holding the person's hand, which she would spend forever with and was glad too…


	13. Chapter 10 Negastream

Chapter 10 Negastream

Chapter 10 Negastream

Moments; that is how long the time felt for Brett while he slept. For well over twelve hours he slept solidly; the disease had wiped out all of his strength, but now all of his friends were going to take care of him. Brett woke up; he was in Blair's room and the sun was so bright that it was clearly day time. He looked over at her clock; the time was past five. He scanned the room and saw his stuff in the corner.

All of his stuff had been moved into Blair's room. It was all still packed away, but there was no mistaking that it was his. He was still in the same clothes, and he felt a little weak. His memory was foggy; the last day seamed like a nightmare with fragments of a dream. The last thing he clearly remembered kissing Blair in the morning. Then memories of the pain came crashing back; Brett suddenly felt a pain in his arm. Even the memories seamed to be causing him pain.

"Brett you're up!" Brett turned to see Blair; she was in her red uniform, and she looked so incredibly happy to see him. She tossed her text book, and duel disk quickly to the ground. Her hear whipped from side to side while she ran to him; she leapt onto the bed and right into Brett. Her arms wrapped around Brett so quickly that he had no time to react. She was crying slightly, but they were tears of happiness; after yesterday she was just happy to see him alive.

Blair sat up and started kissing him all over the face; Brett was confused why she was doing this, but soon she stopped and went back to do. "Brett I'm so happy you are ok; I could not bear to see you like that. I was afraid to lose you, but now everything is okay now. I will look after you from now on…" Brett was hugging back, and he was happy to hear that right now. "Thanks Blair; it means a lot to me, but what happened to me?"

"You were stricken with some kind of disease; you nearly died. Then Siarnaq came and saved you; he preformed a soul bonding ceremony to save your life. It was really scary, but we all stuck by you…" Blair was blushing; she was a little surprised to hear that he had no memory of anything that had happened. "Blair what exactly is Soul Bonding?"

Blair got up and sat down on the side of the bed; she was not going to keep secrets from him. He needed to know the truth; "Soul Bonding is a procedure that bonds two souls together forever. One person offers there eternal support; while the other person receives strengths from the person they support." Brett already knew who he was bonded to and was ready to thank her; "thank you Blair; there is no one else I would rather be bonded to. I guess that means you will get some of my strengths."

Blair was happy for the approval; she knew that Brett would prove, but his approval was wonderful to receive. "Yeah I might change a little, but I'm happy I could save you for once. I just want you to know that I will always stay by you; not just because of our bond…" Brett sat up and stopped her little nervous shaking that he noticed by putting a hand on her shoulder. "Siarnaq said it was a good idea for you to spend as much time as possible. So everyone moved all your stuff here and this is where you are living."

Brett laughed; "so this is what it took for me to be really aloud in here. I should have done this sooner." Blair was flattered; she could still not believe he ever doubted him. "Brett; I'm so in love with you. I would do anything for you, but you already know that… I bet you even know that I won't leave you now..."

A loud knocking came from the door; stopping Blair from finishing what she was about to say. The door opened and Axel's spiky hair poked in; "hey kids. How you two doing? Strengthening that bond yet? Oh Brett; you really got lucky, Blair is almost too good for you." Axel's head was looking in on the two, and Axel was smiling from ear to ear. Suddenly Axel was pushed through the door; he landed on his face, and in walked the rest of his friends.

Blair lay down on the bed close to Brett; she was on her side, and very comfortable next to him. All the rest of his friends sat in different places in the room; Alexis was looking at Brett intently, and soon she decided to speak. "So Brett are you doing alright? Yesterday you were in so much pain; we were all really worried about you." Brett nodded in response and Alexis breathed a sigh of relief.

Almost all of Brett's friends were there; Jasmine, Mindy, Axel, Alexis, Hasleberry, Chazz, Syrus, and Mrs. Fontaine were all in the room taking a good look at him. Mrs. Fontaine was enjoying seeing Blair so close; Brett was decent and would not take advantage of her, so they were cute to be so close. Mrs. Fontaine having her own reputation on the line for allowing Brett felt one last need for a reminder. "So Brett; from now on you are living in this room with Blair. The school will allow this so long as you behave; so you better."

Axel finally recovered from his face plant; he got up and rubbed his face. "Brett how are you so lucky to get all of this; you got a girlfriend. You have power, friends, wealth, good looks, and well; talent. You got it pretty good…" Blair nodded her head into the side of Brett's chest. "You mean a great girlfriend… and yes he is; he is my Exia, and there are only six of them left. I'm so lucky to have the best one of all of them."

Brett was so incredibly embarrassed; Siarnaq must have told them his races name and even how many there was. He was flattered that she was enthusiastic, but somehow he was a little worried about the future. "So Brett; we all know about your abilities, but what about the rest of your race?" Alexis asked; Brett had no idea where to start. "Well there is one for each element; we all have unique forms and abilities. They are all mostly nice people; some are a little troubled; I just hope are race does not end with us."

Blair still had her face buried in Brett's chest; she pulled it out, and moved up till her face was right beside his. She moved in and kissed him on his cheek; "don't worry, it won't." Brett looked away out of embarrassment; everyone laughed at Brett. Chazz clenched his fist in anger; Jasmine looked over at him, and she was wondering what his problem was. "Chazz what is your problem now, do you ever have a smile or do you have to ruin everything?"

"What do you think I'm mad about? Jaden just totally abandoned us, and his friend. What is his problem?" Nobody could answer for Jaden, but Brett was surprised. "What do you mean Jaden abandoned me? He has been gone for over a week." Alexis walked over and put her hand on his shoulder. "Brett Jaden got back almost two days ago; I guess you never found out because of that problem yesterday."

Blair had her hands on Brett; she knew he was going to over react about the news. "So long as Jaden is safe; then I'm happy. If he needs time to recover from whatever happened then we should give him all the time he needs. Till then me and Blair can try to help him out; no all of us can go help him. I will help him, but if he needs time; then he needs time. But my priority is to Blair first; I need to spend time with her. After all she saved my life, and I need to repay her."

Blair got half way up; she was on her hands and knees, but what Brett said that was so touching that it did not matter if people were watching. She dropped down and kissed Brett on the kiss; she slowly opened and closed around his mouth in a sensual way. She finally stopped after a few seconds; she dropped back down to her original position. She giggled at the sense she was getting good at kissing and she smiled as she spoke. "I love my Exia; he is so perfect."

The rest of the night they all talked about their plans after school. Things were eventually going to end, and this was many peoples last year. It was heart breaking to think that they would be separate. The future was very unsure at this point, but they all knew that they would keep in touch. Many things were about to change; Blair was torn between staying and leaving. She did not want to leave her friends, but if Brett was here; then things would not be so bad.

The night quickly got late; everyone got up to leave, but before they could leave; Brett thanked them again. He was so grateful to all of his family he had found here. They all told Brett that they were just happy he was safe and happy. It was wonderful to have such a group that cared about him; he felt invincible. Blair got underneath the covers and got ready for bed.

"Brett… I trust you, but I thought you would want to spend more time with Jaden?" Brett was a little surprised, but he knew how to answer. "Blair my devotion is to you; not to Jaden. I know we are good friends, and he is important, but Jaden will be fine. My priorities are not to him or our wonderful friends. All my priorities are to you; you are my girlfriend, and you are the one I love. I love you, and Jaden is my friend. You will always come first in my mind."

Blair moved up and gave him a quick kiss, and son the two fell asleep in each others arms. Blair rested wonderfully; Brett had vanquished her worries, and she knew everything would be fine. She could easily spend an eternity with him; especially if there love was this strong. Her Exia was the most wonderful thing she had, or ever would…

The next morning came to an abrupt start when Brett was woken up by Blair. "Brett come on and get up! I reserved the shower for you so get moving." Brett sat up and scratched his head; he stretched his arms and yawned before he finally got up. Slowly he got some new clothes and took his sweet time. Blair kept pushing him to get moving; she had reserved the shower for right now, and if he did not get moving then he would miss his chance.

He walked down the hall, and friendly greetings came his way from any girls that were nearby. Blair watched from her doorway; Brett offered greetings back, and she knew that things were good. She trusted him; even with other girls, and it was a strong trust. She went back inside her room and lay down on the bed. She patiently waited for Brett to return.

The moment Brett returned in a new pair of clothes; Blair handed him his deck, and together they left for the school. They walked together side by side; Blair had her arm locked with Brett, and her head was on his arm resting. Different duelists said hello, and offered their complements to Brett. It was strange to become famous so fast, but many changes had happened since the beginning of the year.

Together they arrived at the main gate to see Hasleberry, Chazz, Alexis, Axel, and Syrus were all there to meet them. "So how is the happy couple today?" Axel asked, and Blair looked over and was about to answer; when the sky instantly turned pitch grey. Clouds formed from nothing, and the entire world seemed so much darker.

From this new darkness came a powerful aura that spread across the planet. No matter where people where; they could sense the amazing force. It eclipsed anything they had ever felt, and it was coming from close by. Brett immediately took off with Blair right beside him; his friends followed close behind. What ever was here was trying to get Brett's attention.

Brett arrived in an open field; the field was silent except for a slight wind, which could chill anyone to their bones. Then; a mysterious person started to walk towards them from a grey haze. Blair focused her eyes, and when she saw who it was; her hand clamped down on Brett's. She was not going to let this person take him away again.

"Exia of Light; I have come for you, and you shall comply… you shall be graced by becoming my new knight." Blair got in front of Brett and held her arms out; blocking Jenova's path to Brett. "Get the hell away from him!" Blair shouted; Jenova could only reply with a small chuckle. This sight was amusing to her eyes, but then everyone else got in front to; protecting the both of them. Axel summoned his blazing Chakrams and got in a ready stance; Jenova could only watch and chuckle.

"Brett is coming with me no matter what; this day I will claim the most superior Exia for my self. Brett is far more powerful, and he shall serve as my knight for all eternity. There is no greater honor for him; you should stand clear and allow him this honor." Blair was not going to let her take him again; her friends parted so she could speak face to face with Jenova.

"No you are not taking him; Brett is mine! He wants to stay with me; he is mine and you cannot have him." Jenova began to laugh maniacally in response to Blair's bravery, and the laughter caused Blair to recoil from fear. "No you should never be with him; a human in love with my perfect creation… It is expected since he is perfect, but you would have only ruin him. He needs to be at my side to prosper; my power is so far beyond anything that you have ever seen that you need to back down. His power may come from the Lifestream, but mine comes from the Negastream; the absolute corrupting force, and that is how he shall become my slave…"

Anger was filling Blair's mind; she turned around to Brett and looked into his eyes. "Brett; kick her but!" Then Blair noticed what Brett was doing; he was trembling from fear. "I cannot Blair; she is so much more powerful. I just can't win against her!" Blair was shocked to see him this scarred; never before had anyone seen him this afraid of anything. "I cannot fight her; I just can't. I could never win!"

Brett was starting to tremble even more; his fear of Jenova had a death grip on him. All of Brett's friends including Blair turned around; they were not going to let this happen. Together they all shouted; "We will protect him from you then because you mean that much to me."

Jenova started laughing slowly, but then it built up and she was laughing hysterically. "Is that so? You are all going to protect him from me? No you won't; because this does not concern you. My power will poison and destroy his very soul; the Negastream is the absolute corruption, and none of you can save him from me!"

A single hand of Jenova's was raised to the sky, and suddenly her and Brett were raised high into the sky. Soon they stopped when they were over a hundred feet above the ground. A field of grey light formed below them; it felt as solid as earth, but was transparent. Jenova wanted to show her power and her cruelty to these insects.

Brett was still shaking; due to the incredible fear of Jenova that had gripped his soul. Jenova slowly began to hover in the air above the field; she had no wings, but her shear power kept her elevated. Brett could not do anything; he refused to attack. Jenova was amazed at how easy of a task this was becoming. She fired off a single grey beam from her feminine palm.

The blast came right at Brett who summoned his ten wings, and they appeared on his back. They wrapped him in a cocoon just before the blast hit; "the beam impacted on his wings; sending feathers everywhere. The beam faded, and everyone gasped at the sight of Brett's wings melting into grey ooze. Blair was speechless; it was frightening to her, but even worse was how Brett felt.

It was unnerving to feel them just melt away like he was losing part of himself. The beam even seamed to take away abilities and weaken Brett. Abilities and forms also seem to just feel completely out of his reach. It was so frightening to feel even his soul disappearing into a strange corrupting abyss that was like nothing he could ever imagine.

Jaden sat in his room; he could feel the power but chose to ignore it. Then he felt an evil beyond belief; he quickly rose, and grabbed his duel deck before exiting his room. Brett screamed in pain; the energy melted his wings away into nothing. His very soul felt poisoned, and even worse it felt like he was been destroyed by this energy. He had no choice; he had to run away.

Song Jenova

Jenova watched this pathetic display from her mighty creature but she could change all that from the soon to be blank slate. "No one shall stand between me and what I desire; no one has that right. But do not worry my Exia; this will hurt her more then you! Brett I swear before the end of this day; that you will be mine again!" Jenova finished talking and whipped her hand around multiple times; each pass of the hand sent a beam of the same energy towards Brett.

Brett dodged from side to side; each blast nearly hit Brett. The explosions impacted, and sent thousands of strands of grey energy bursting out. Some passed through Brett; his very soul felt poisoned and corrupted. He felt his very self being destroyed by this poison. He landed on the ground and took off running; never looking back to see if she was attacking.

"You are such a coward; you disserve to be erased. I will have you not matter what…" Jenova finished and continued firing more blast of energy at Brett. She never relented, and Brett knew that this rate he would lose, but she was so powerful that he could not stand a chance. Brett bounded from place to place; Jenova flew high above. This was nothing but a game, and she knew this was torture to the spectators.

"Brett!" cried all of his friends. This was torture to be unable to help; Blair was desperately trying to find a way to help him. Axel through his weapons in an attempt to break the glass like playing field, but his weapons bounced off harmlessly. No one else had any useful ideas; it was painful, but there was no way to help. Blair shouted for Brett to attack, but the battle continued the same.

Brett was still dodging from side to side; his speed was the only thing keeping him alive. The blasts were getting closer and closer each time; Brett panted while trying to find new ways to keep ahead. Brett jumped into the air to avoid the next attack, and Jenova appeared before him. She span and landed her leg into Brett's stomach; the impact sent Brett downwards into the translucent ground.

The body of Brett hit the ground and bounced across the fake ground. Brett struggled upwards; Jenova swooped in and kicked him across the ground. He screamed in pain; Jenova laughed out loud. "More! I demand more; you cannot deny me; YOU CANNOT DENY ME!" She continued to swoop in and kick Brett from place to place; teleporting from place to place.

Each time the kicks hit they seemed to have massive force, but there was no marks or cuts on his clothes. She finally stopped her assault and flew up into the air. Each attack had been using the same grey energy to poison him. Brett slowly stood up and looked upwards; Jenova was just hovering there. She was gazing down on him, and he showed barely any defiance left in his eyes or will to evade any longer; "Brett this had been so disappointing. I thought I would receive a real fight from you, but I guess all the time amongst the humans made you really weak."

All of Brett's friends begged him to get out of there; Blair cried for him to do anything. Brett could not do anything but stand there; he felt useless and as if being held back. He could not stop this anymore; he knew he had lost and he had given up. "Do not worry you will not feel a thing after this; say good bye to your weaker side as I craft what you were meant to be!" Jenova lifted her hand to the sky above; grey lightning sparked across her arm.

Grey energy began to form in her hand; slowly it built into a giant orb of energy. Jenova laughed, and Brett bowed his head in defeat. Blair begged him do anything, but it was too late for him to start fighting. The ball fired a large beam of energy that consumed Brett; the beam broke through the field of light, and swept Brett to the ground below.

The beam hit the ground and the impact sent dust and dirt into the air. The grey energy continued to be fired into the ground; Brett was engulfed and consumed by the grey energy. The beam stopped after seconds; the dust clear, and Blair rushed over to the large crater. The rest of his friends cried for Blair to wait, but she was far too concerned; soon the rest of her friends followed her.

The crater was five meters in diameter; the young man in the center was barely recognizable, but it was no mistaking the person. Brett lay in the crater; his hair was a bright silver color, and his skin was nearly the same. Blair jumped in and landed right beside him; his eyes were open, but his eyes were no longer brown, but a pure white. Brett looked entirely different, and no matter how much his friends pleaded; he would not budge.

Jenova descended from the sky; she landed just outside of the crater. Jenova was enjoying this far too much to just be straight forward. She wanted his friends to suffer; they were all on the outside of the crater, except for Blair who was right beside Brett. "I told you that he would be mine; no one can resist the Negastream. It is the absolute power…"

"Let Brett go please; I do not want to lose him! Just give him back; I beg of you!" Blair's pleas fell on death ears. "My dear; he is now my servant, he will only ever love me. The Negastream corrupts and deteriorates a person's soul. It changes the person forever; the person you knew is already gone. Rise my servant…"

The words immediately caused Brett to rise up from the ground; Blair was speechless. She got up and tried to communicate to Brett, but got no response. "Stop wasting time you fool; you could never comprehend that he is truly gone. He is mine…" Blair shook her haed violently; she refused and jumped up and wrapped her arms around Brett's neck. "BRETT I LOVE YOU!"

The shouting caused Brett's inner power to awaken, and Jenova was forced back by the unbelievable power. A wave of force shot out; along with a blinding crystal blue light that consumed everything. Blair held on tightly to Brett; she was never going to let go. Jaden ran up to the crater just as the light began to fade. Blair continued to hang onto Brett; she backed her head up to see Brett's changed face.

Brett immediately dropped to his knees; the pain was immense, and he put his hands to his head trying to stop the pain. His powers were colliding and fighting over control. Brett's physical attributes were changing back and forth; Blair told Brett to fight it, but the pain was so intense that Brett was lost. Brett was lost in pain; he could not hold on through this. Jenova stood there; she was incredibly surprised, but even madder at Blair.

"What have you done to my Exia?" Blair looked back at her; she was about to say something when the sky erupted with laughter. "Jenova; it has been a while, but I do not really consider a clone to be what I want to talk to. It is so funny to see you are still a failure after all this time."

A man descended from the sky; he had two mighty and large green wings that sprouted from his back. He was dressed in a black cloak, but is face was exactly like Brett's. "Well what an honor to be visited by the original Brett. The original being that set this all in motion; I have missed you so much."

Váli resented his original name; it was no longer who he was. "That name has no meaning for me Jenova; my name is Váli now. I have changed, and I will end your plans; now where is the real Jenova?" Jenova took flight up into the sky till she was at the same level as Váli. "Váli is it; have you forgotten all about how much we mean to one another. Never mind; I have not failed Váli; he is mine again. Now I have two super powers on my side."

"Ha! You have no idea what you have done Jenova; you are a failure. You underestimated Arniath back then, and now you have underestimated his power. He is being torn apart; your power is conflicting with his, and they are battling over his soul. His power has been greatly reduced, and it will no recover for quite some time. It is even worse though…"

"What are you rambling about?" Jenova was furious; it was making sense to her; she could feel her power losing its hold over him. "His soul is half destroyed now; the light will cripple the Negastream and try to repair his soul by locking it away. The Negastream will cripple the Light, and it will assume control. The battle will be endless, and no one will get anything out of it and he will lose in the process."

"The original monster is so wise, but you cannot stop me…" Jenova was firmly confident; she would just continue poisoning him till she had him. "You are wrong; this time you die here Jenova clone!" Váli bolted forward and summoned his sword in the blink of an eye. His sword sliced through where she once was; Jenova had bolted upwards, and disappeared through a portal of her own creation.

Teeth grinded together; Váli was not about to lose Jenova's trail again. He bolted upwards and squeezed through the portal just as it closed. Blair shook Brett with all her strength, and suddenly his eyes shot open and his body settled. The power that emanated from Brett caused Blair to fly back out of the crater. She flew into the air and Jaden caught her but she waited a second before struggling out of Jaden's arms. She was set down, and then she saw Brett start to emerge from the crater.

His eyes were blood red, and his expression was that of a devious nature. His hair was a mix of waves of brown and silver hair; it was still the same length, but it seemed so unnatural. His skin looked normal, but seemed to still have some pure silver segments. His clothes were dusty, but not torn. Brett continued to walk right by Blair and Jaden, and Blair cried out for Brett to stop but she then recoiled in fear that something bad had happened.

Song Bousou

The young man paused and turned around; "what do you want from me?" Blair looked on with tearful eyes and all of his friends joined her at her side. "Brett what is wrong; do you not know who we are?" Brett looked on; his next words were about to devastate Blair. "I know all about you, and I want nothing to do with any of you. Stay away from me; if you do not; then I will hurt you. I have no use for any of you…"

Blair's heart was beating erratically; "no you are Brett. You have to be; I know you are!" Axel walked up to Blair; "Brett stop playing games and get your head on right!" Brett summoned his sword and held it out to his once group of friends. "I'm not this guy; he is gone forever into the abyss. I will destroy and rule everything I chose to; this power is mine, and I will not give it up. Besides; who could love you?"

Blair's heart skipped a beat; Axel tried to grab Brett's arm, but Brett swung his sword. Axel jumped back; Blair could not believe this. "Brett… Why would you saying those things?" Brett's expression was getting madder and madder each time Blair spoke; "shut up. MY GOD YOU ARE WHINNY! You are annoying me and I cannot believe that anyone would want you near them. I want you all to leave me the hell alone; never waste my time again!"

Blair's heart was being torn apart; "Brett stop this, you are hurting Blair!" Axel shouted, causing the new Brett to shout back. "Does it look like I care? You are all weaklings; you do not disserve me to answer you. I hate you all for wasting my time. You want your precious guy back; well the fact is he is gone forever. I'm a god; this Brett is dead and I killed him, and now I will take my place as this world's god!"

"Brett stop this! Please…" Blair ran over to him; she approached Brett, and Brett used his hand to knock her back. She fell backwards; she got up quickly but had no clue what to do next. "Get the hell away from me runt. I do not love you; to think anyone could is disgusting. You are weak, and pathetic; if you ever come near me again I will kill you! No matter how I do it; I will kill you, you worthless ugly runt…"

Blair had never experienced anything this terrible; her heart was broken in two, and she dropped to her hands and knees. She started crying, and Brett laughed; "Look how pathetic you are runt. You are pathetic; you will end up just worthless like humans in the streets. Cry some more! I love watching your pain! It is the only thing that is good about your existence. I would not even keep you as a slave in my rule…"

Song Shuunen no Ichigeki

Brett spat right in front of her; he took out his deck of cards and threw them in front of Blair. They scattered across the ground, and Brett laughed again; "I would pick those up you worthless dog. Those are the only things left of the person you loved." Blair was still crying, but she reached out and started to gather them up clumsily. She mindlessly gathered them; she had been crushed by the barrage of cruel acts and could not handle this at all.

Brett laughed and kicked dirt in her face; Alexis ran in and blocked his path. "Stop this Brett!" Brett moved to quickly for Alexis to react; he grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground. "This is who I am; I told you that your friend is dead. Look at how attached that girl is to him; it is hilarious. She is worthless; like a dog! Maybe that should be what she is known as from now on. Just a worthless b…"

Jaden swiped at him; stopping his sentence but Brett dodged and knocked Jaden backwards. "You all are so protective; this game you play; I think I will go defeat some worthless humans before I begin my rule. That would be fun; as for you runt; remember who did this to you…" Brett turned and started to walk away; Blair was crying her hardest she ever had. "This is the important part! Remember that it was I who killed him!"

The things that were said to her were too unbearable for heart to take. Brett had stomped all over it, and now her broken heart was too much to bear. She grabbed all of the cards she could and ran away. Jaden was hurt, but he had to go help Blair. Jaden ran off after Blair, while Brett continued to walk towards the school.

He held up his PDA and sent a new message to all students; it was a challenge to anyone who wanted to take him on and promised a challenge worth their time. Alexis, Hasleberry, Chazz, and Axel all set their duel disk; they had to help their friends. Jaden had to reach Blair quickly; he knew she needed help and support. Again Jenova had separated them, but this time Brett came back far worse.

Brett continued to walk towards the school; his duel disk was now armed with the most frightening creatures ever. This time there would be no playing by the rules; this time he wanted to make people suffer. This new menace in Brett's body still had more then enough strength to rule, or worse enslave.


	14. Chapter 11 The Hatred Fueled by Power

Chapter 11 The Hatred Fueled by Power

Chapter 11 The Hatred Fueled by Power

Blair was running as fast as she could; it did not matter where anymore because she had to get away. Her heart was broken cruelly in half, and it was by someone she though would never do it to her. Brett had been the one to do it, and the pain was unbearable to her. She just wanted to run away from everything giving herself more strength to run. She was trying her best not to think about anything, but her mind kept flashing back.

"Get the hell away from me runt. I do not love you; to think anyone could is disgusting. You are weak, and pathetic; if you ever come near me again I will kill you! No matter how I do it; I will kill you, you worthless ugly runt…" Brett's words kept repeating in her mind. Her face was dirty from Brett kicking dirt in her face, and she was still crying with her eyes closed. It was hard to accept that Brett was gone but after that whole scene, even Blair had her doubts about Brett still being somewhere in there.

Her face still was still sore from when Brett had hit her; that had frightened her the most. Brett would never hit her at least not the person she knew, but this time she could not help him. She was afraid of him; she was unsure about everything that she knew all over again, and there was no way she could approach him after all of that hardship. Now she found herself at the Red Dorm; she shook her head and then ran to her old room just wanting something to remind her of better times.

Brett had arrived at the school and was at the dueling arena; a group of students had gathered with the Chancellor and Mrs. Fontaine. "Brett what is this about; this is so unlike you." He came closer, and everyone noticed the changes in his appearance when he stepped into the brighter lit portions. "I challenge all of you right here and now! I want to test and see if these monsters are as powerful as they are claimed to be."

"Brett what is wrong with you?" Mrs. Fontaine asked and the new person quickly responded. "Shut up and duel! I'm going to start here and I will not stop till I control everything. I have finally awakened and the person you know is gone forever." Fifteen students set their Duel disk along with Mrs. Fontaine ready to fight against this imposter. The new beast in Brett's body smiled and laughed; "I will go first! Right now I start with card destruction!" Everyone tossed their cards to the graveyard and drew again. Chancellor walked over and began to speak; "what is going on?"

"Shut up; we are playing by my rules now, and I'm not interested in playing fair!" The Chancellor was shaken by these words; "Now I sacrifice two monsters to bring forth my Chaos Emperor Dragon; and since you are all my opponents. You all receive damage from his effect; so do it and bring me an easy victory! I am so much better then everything else, and I shall claim all that I disserve."

The dragon used all of the cards in all of the duelists' graveyards and in their hands; the massive attack knocked everyone that was participating back. The impact they all received was even worse with the dark powers powering them. "That is how you win; sixteen in one shot. But I want a real challenge; bring me a CHALENGE! Satisfy my desire to know my power is truly perfect!" Brett turned when he heard a familiar voice; "you want a challenge? Then why not take us on, because I know I'm not going to let whatever you are take my friend away…"

Brett's eyes focused in on the entrance, and there was Axel; soon Alexis, Chazz, Hasleberry, and Jasmine all entered behind him. They all had a determine look, and Alexis was the first to speak up. "Brett we are going to get you back, and if we have to do it like that then so be it." All of them set their duel disks, and Brett only laughed in response. "Ok, but let's do it one at a time, or this will be over in an instant. That would be no fun for me; I have great things for all of you to fight!"

Jaden knocked before he entered just trying to stay polite; Blair was sitting on the bed. She was still sobbing on the bed sitting there and sniffling; all of her crying had made it hard to let anymore tears fall from her eyes. Her throat was nearly bone dry, and she was struggling to continue crying. She looked up to see Jaden, but she only turned her head away when she saw Jaden's face.

Song

Jaden walked over and sat beside her; his arm went over her shoulder, but it was little comfort. "Why Jaden…? Why did Brett say those things; does he really not love me any more?" her were words were heart breaking to Jaden. "Blair who ever that was there; it was not Brett. That was someone else; you cannot let him win. We need to fight our hardest to get him back, when the darkness took over me it was my friends that brought me back."

Blair's head shook in response; "I can't Jaden, I just can't. My heart cannot take anymore; when ever he talks; it is like Brett is saying those things to me. I'm sorry Jaden; I can't do it; I'm not that strong. I cannot save him; I have failed Brett again." Jaden's fist was clenched at the thought of what she had done. "Jenova…"

Flames came down and sent Axel flying backwards off the stage; his life points were reduced to zero after a few quick and short turns. Brett looked down on his former fallen friend with his blood red eyes; "who is next?"

Jaden began wiping Blair's tears from her face with the blanket; slowly he began to clean her face from the dirt. "Brett; my heart is broken; I just want him back more then anything. I just can't face that again…"

Jasmine was blasted back by the attack of Wicked Deadroot; she collapsed and lost consciousness from a single attack. The monster faded and Brett signaled to his next opponent to approach. "I believe I asked for a challenge…"

Jaden continued to comfort Blair; she could no longer cry from lack of liquids in her system. "I know he still loves me; I know that he is still in there, but I don't think I can reach him. Maybe Jenova should have him then… no I can't let him go."

"I know Brett does Blair, but that is not him in control, and we will get him back I promise."

Raviel's fist hit Chazz and sent him back to the fall; he struggled up, but the attack had left him drained. Brett turned around to his next opponent and pointed at him. Jaden got Blair something to drink, but she was refusing; her heart was in too much pain for anyone to help her in other ways.

Hasleberry was unconscious after Hamon's attack, and next Alexis soon stood wide open for attack. Before her was Obelisk the Tormentor; the creature absorbed to monsters that were beside Obelisk, and its power rose to infinite proportions. "You all are pathetic; what ever is left of his soul will soon be gone, and it is because of your failure here! This is sad to think you're the best this place has to offer. Tell that girl that you failed her too; that way her heart will break even more!"

"Brett it is not to late; please stop this now! I know the real you are in there; please come back to us. You have to fight this; there are more people that love you here!"

Alexis finished and had started to cry; her eyes shut tight, and she prayed for this to end. "No… This is the real me know and you cannot reach what is dead… OBELISK! CRUSH HER TO HER VERY SOUL!"

The giant fist slammed in to her; sending her back in a straight flight path into the wall. She hit and screamed from the massive pain, and then she passed out and fell to the floor.

"Jaden; I want him back, so badly. I think I made too many mistakes with Brett when I said I loved him to earl, but now I… I know there is no one else I want with me and yet I cannot even face him."

Jaden got up from the bed and looked back at her; she was not moving, and barely breathing. He could not stand to see his friend in this much pain; he could only imagine how hard this was on the real Brett as well. "This has to end; every time Jenova has come here things have only hurt you. I'm sorry Blair, but do not give up on Brett; I will get him back. You just stay here, and I promise I will bring him back."

No response came from the young maiden; she did not move, and Jaden turned and left. "… I'm sorry Brett, I really do love you."

Jaden arrived at the gym; he entered to se tens of students lying unconscious. Jaden walked towards the duel field; where Brett was standing with his back turned towards him. A hand reached out and grabbed Jaden's ankle; Alexis's head struggled upwards to gaze at Jaden's foot. "Jaden; be careful; he has the god cards. Tell… Blair that… I'm sorry… I failed…" Alexis fell back unconscious before Jaden could even respond. He continued onto the duel field, and Brett finally noticed and turned to meet his next opponent.

"Jaden! I have been waiting! This time maybe I will find a real challenge; that is if you think you can provide a real challenge for me. All of these mighty duelists lasted only a few turns; hopefully you can last a little longer." Jaden scowled at him and loaded his deck into his duel disk. "I will duel you, but if I win; you must let Brett have his body back. You will leave all of us alone!"

"If you win? If I win; all of you are no never trouble me again. If I win; Brett's soul will be destroyed forever. Understood?" Jaden was nervous; the stakes were very high for him to be risking Brett's soul on a game. Jaden remembered how much his friends were suffering, and he would not let this continue. "I agree; let's duel!"

"Hold on there Jaden… do you not want to know why I have beaten all of these weaklings so easy. This game is based on strategy and luck, but I do not play by those rules. I'm using a deck of blank cards, and my power is changing them to what ever I desire. Brett's mind is knowledgeable about everything in this game; so it is like I'm cheating to a degree. I guess what I'm trying to say is; are you really that confident?"

"You have been cheating! You…" Jaden tried to finish, but was interrupted by Brett. "What? The fact is that I'm using what I have, and that should not be a crime to be what you are. Jaden I tell you this to shake your confidence; your heroes cannot last versus this evil. Tell me is that pathetic little girl still crying over me? My former self must have been a real goodie goodie to never use his powers to become what he should."

"Shut up! She is crying over the real Brett; not anything you could have done and don't you dare insult Brett either! I will put an end to this now." Jaden shouted; he could hardly hold back from attacking this guy physically. "Is that so? Then why is she not here fighting to get him back? The sad truth is that she is; injuring a heart was easy; I can see all of his memories, and I cannot begin to tell you how worthless they are. But this is it Jaden; let us duel… when you lose I get to destroy a soul…"

Both duelists shouted for the game to begin; both of their life points rose to four thousand. "The hero should go first Jaden; I must admit I have a surprise for you today!" Jaden drew his sixth card, and quickly looked them over. "I will set one card facedown to set up a defense; and next two cards into my trap zone. That is my turn…"

A laugh was all Brett said in response; "ready to watch my power work?" Brett drew his card at incredible speed; "what a surprise! First try my Harpies's Feather Duster…" The card's magic activated; sending both of Jaden's traps to the grave. "You cannot win Jaden… I wonder what all your friends would know that you and Yubel are now together… considering what that thing did I think they would hate you!"

Brett activated Card Destruction; sending all of the duelists cards to the grave, while forcing them to draw the same number of cards that they discarded. Brett did not wait and activated three Pot of Greed cards; his number of cards rose to seven, and the realization sunk in with Jaden that their truly were no rules this time. This duel had no real rules, but this guy also was using Brett's ability to see Yubel's spirit beside Jaden.

Then Jaden realized that if Brett could see Yubel then it may change everything. No doubt Brett still had harsh feelings against Yubel, ones that may completely change things. Yubel was standing beside Jaden looking at him with a stern happy look and had it's own advice. "Jaden do not worry; you have my protection and no matter what power this creature has we can win."

Next three Graceful Charity cards were played; next Brett continued with two more card destructions. Brett's deck had nearly been half destroyed of his own accord, but Brett was still smiling. His silence was followed with three Pot of Avarice cards; they reloaded his deck while giving Brett another six cards. Brett's hand was at ten cards now; he threw down three face down cards.

"Enough with these delays Jaden; let us play for real now. I activate Card Of Safe Return; and next I will use my Monster Reborn as well as my Infinite Cards Card. So let me sum this up; I get to draw another card, and then I get to bring a monster back from the grave." Jaden readied him self; Brett was going to truly enjoy this. "Jaden; the only Red Student left; meet Slifar… THE SKY DRAGON!"

The red serpent like dragon emerged onto the field; "Jaden what is wrong? I thought you would be thrilled to see Slifar, or now do you realize that your friend's soul is doomed?" Jaden got ready for the coming attack, and Brett was happy to oblige. With a wave of his hand the dragon sent forth a large fiery blast at Jaden's creature.

The card revealed Neo-Spacian Glow Moss; it's effect activated, and Brett was forced to draw a card. Jaden knew that Brett could choose his card to be magic; then his attack would head straight for Jaden. Brett flipped his newly drawn card around to reveal the Mirror Force trap card. The attack hit the glowing creature, and it was instantly destroyed. "Why did you choose to make it a trap card? You could have one; unless the old Brett is holding you back?"

"Do not insult me like that; I'm toying with you. I want everyone to watch the great Jaden Yuki fall even with his most powerful creature. So start your turn…" Jaden hesitantly drew his next card; when he did; Slifar disappeared back to the grave. "Sorry did I forget to tell you that Slifar must return to the grave if I bring it back with a trap, or a magic card?"

This was an opportunity, but Jaden had no cards to help him. He could attack with a weak card, but then his cards flashed and changed. In his hand were the perfect cards that he needed to win the game. Brett's eyes were flashing and he looked in terrible pain. "Jaden please hurry; beat him and end this. Hurry before I run out of strength no mater what happens you cannot let this thing get any worse. If you don't win then kill me, because this thing will kill you all."

Jaden played his O-oversoul card; Neos appeared on the field, ready to fight. Jaden then played his Neo Space field card; then he summoned his Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab. The two creatures fused together while Brett continued to struggle with his other side. Jaden commanded his Elemental Flare Neos to attack, and end this; the creature had 4200 attack points, and it was more then enough to win thanks to all the traps that Brett had left behind.

A loud laughing came from Brett; he changed back to his corrupted form, and looked at Jaden. "You fell for it… activate Call of The Haunted!" Slifar returned to the field, and Brett drew another card; Slifar's attack points were now nine thousand. Jaden called off his attack, and he did not know what had happened. He was finished at this point; he dropped to his knees and ended his turn, and Slifar disappeared again.

"This game is over Jaden; did you really believe his soul could break my stranglehold on his body. It is over Jaden; you are no hero, and you have failed that girl… Brett's soul will now be banished forever to a never ending abyss. You failed all of your friends today; I would kill you, but it would be a waist of my time…"

Jaden could not say anything; he had failed both Blair and Brett the most. Brett's soul was on the line, but he could not win against this. Brett drew his next card, and he started to move towards finishing the duel. Raigeki cleansed the field of his creature; another Monster Reborn card brought Slifar back again, and another card was added to Brett's hand.

"Slifar finish the pathetic whelp; to think I thought you would beat me…" Slifar's fire finished Jaden off; a force field extended from Jaden protecting him. His eyes each glowed a separate color and he was spared from the attack. Jaden had no response, or anything to say. "Goodbye all of you; I must bid you all a fond farewell. I will leave; this place holds no challenge great enough for me."

Brett left the gym; he could feel the other side fading from existence, and it was so liberating. Then he started to feel incredibly week; "how can this be. I need to go somewhere to recover." Brett ran away from the gym; he needed a quiet place to hide till he discovered what was wrong.

A day passed; a watch had been put on throughout all of Duelist Academy. Anyone who even caught a glimpse of Brett was to report to all of his friends immediately. Jaden had became very depressed over his failure; everyone else had recovered from their duel with Brett. Everyone was in Blair's old room; they all waited for any news, but to hear nothing was terrifying.

Every now and then; small sounds could be heard from Blair. All she talked about was wanting Brett back. She had not slept in over a day; her mind was filled with so many questions that she could not answer. Alexis had to force food and liquid onto her; she was devastated, but no one was in a good mood. The feeling of Brett being truly gone was starting to sink in…

It was nearly eight a clock at night; it had been over twenty four hours since Brett had been seen. Alexis's PDA started beeping like mad; everyone including Blair and Jaden turned their attention. Alexis grabbed it, and opened the mail with all haste. "Brett has been spotted… He is heading for the dock… no. He is going to leave…"

"We cannot let that happen; he is to dangerous to let go…" Jaden stood up and ran out the door; everyone else stood there for a second. They all nodded to each other and ran out the door. Blair was still sitting in the same position; she was still in shock, but then her eyes closed and she grabbed Brett's old deck. "I will save you my self Brett, or I will…"

She shook her head and ran out the door; she was no longer with a sad expression across her face. She was determined, and she had enough of this. She was going to get him back by her side no matter what it had to come down to.


	15. Chapter 12 Blair vs Brett

Chapter 12 Blair VS Brett Love's Last Stand

Chapter 12 Blair VS Brett Love's Last Stand

Slowly Brett walked towards the dock; he had to get off this island and free of any more annoyances. Ever since the other day after the battle with Jaden; he had become incredibly weak and there was no reason for it. He had hid himself away in the abandoned dorm; no matter how he tried he could no figure out the reason why. However it did not matter anymore; he was going to leave the island and begin his dominion. His faith was still that his powers would grow forever.

Brett walked over the last hill; the grey clouded over sky set the tone for what he saw. Everyone of his old friends were standing on the dock; their expressions told Brett that they were not going to allow him to leave. Brett just continued to walk onto the docks; his old friends were still blocking his path. Brett was only getting angrier; they all ordered him to stop. They told him that there was no way he was going to leave.

"The fires of my old self have been extinguished forever; there is no chance of him ever returning. The point is that there is nothing left for you to fight for; he is gone, so let me leave. I'm tired of all of you getting in my way, and I will not stand for this much longer."

No one budged an inch; this was making Brett extremely angry. "I have already beaten all of you; I told you that I will kill all of you if I must. You are the reasons for his soul being extinguished, but if I must fight and kill you then so be it. Do not think I will hesitate, but I do have no original desire to kill slaves."

"Stop…! You're fight is not with them; it is with me…" Brett whipped around to see Blair standing with her blue duel disk ready for a duel. "I will bring my Brett back, and I will do it with his old deck. I should have been the one to originally do this, but I was to hurt because I saw Brett saying those things. But you are not him, and I will get him back no matter how hard it is."

"What chance do you stand against me? Do you really believe that much that you can win..?" Blair did not wait a moment after the question and shouted back; "I will! I Love him too much to lose, I know if I was in that position that he would not stop until was safe. There is no way I can't except that he is gone. I cannot bare to be without him; he is that important to me. You could never understand; when I win, you will disappear, and give the old Brett back to me!"

Brett looked down upon her; his duel disk set, he could kill to birds with one stone. "Fine, but when I win; you will lose the last things you have of him. You will never love anyone again; and that deck will burn away for all eternity! Plus I get to leave the island with no obstacles…" Blair agreed before her friends could protest; Blair was determine, and she would win.

"Very well runt; I shall start this duel; get ready to lose it all." Brett drew his sixth card and started with Card Destruction. All of his cards went to the grave and he drew the same number he discarded, and Blair did the same. "Ready to see my ultimate move? I play my three Pot of Greed cards; next with all these cards I play three Monster Reborn cards, and two Premature Burial cards."

Before Blair could gasp; five new monsters appeared. Obelisk The Tormentor; Slifar The Sky Dragon; Raviel The Phantasm Lord; Uria The Searing Flame; and lastly Hamon The striking Thunder. "I have saved the best for you runt…" Obelisk grabbed Uria and Hamon, and its power raised to infinite levels.

"Now I sacrifice the three remaining creatures for the most powerful of these so called gods! RA COME FORTH AND BRING ME VICTORY IN THIS FIGHT!" The three remaining creatures disappeared, and in there place was now a giant golden dragon. "This duel is over next turn." All of their friends watched; Ra kept Obelisk's infinite power level's, and Jaden knew this was wrong; even the cards were now being manipulated along with the game's rules. "This is not right; you are just bending the rules! Fight us on equal terms or do not even bother!"

Brett chose to ignore him; rules were no longer his concern, so long as victory was his. "Brett I told you that I would bring you back. I know there is no way you could beat Brett, and I know that I can bring him back … it is because we both love one another."

Brett interrupted her speech; he could not take this dribble another single second. "SHUT UP WITH THAT CRAP! You wanted to duel so duel; that stuff is making me beyond angry! I don't care about that stuff; just in becoming what I should be."

A smile cracked on Blair's face even though the evil person in Brett's body had shaken her a little; she then drew her card. She played a trap card before moving to the main portion of her plan. "I activate Double Summon card, and I summon Red Eyes Black Chick and Eria the water charmer in attack mode. Next I use my little dragon's effect to bring out your Red Eyes Black Dragon. There is no way you can attack these because Brett would never allow it; please wake up and stop this thing Brett."

No one knew why Blair was doing this; she ended her turn and Brett drew a card and spoke up. "You are wrong; they mean nothing to me and I will show you right now." Brett considered the trap card, but then he felt a surge of confidence that there was no way he could lose. Something told him that it was a bluff; "Runt; I have truly had enough. Prepare to experience infinite power; with any luck you will die from it and never bother me again."

Ra fired its attack and Blair, and she when she looked up she was smiling. "I knew Brett was still alive in there; he is the only reason you would fall for it. Magic Cylinder… Activate, and I'm sorry for this Brett I don't want to hurt you, but I won't lose you either…" The trap activated, and was redirected to Brett; nothing he could do could stop this; the attack approached and hit him with the full force.

The duel was over in an instant after; all of her friends were stunned that Blair had won fairly easily. The smoke cleared, and Brett was still standing there; the same as before the attack of RA. His red eyes were immediately seen by Blair the same blood red, and she suddenly recoiled from what this could mean. "What is going on? I was promised the original Brett; stop fooling around and give him back to me now!"

"I told you all the same thing every time; the only thing left are your memories and that deck! You want proof? I'm still here…"

The truth broke Blair's spirit and she dropped to her hands and knees; her hand was raised and slammed into the concrete dock bellow regardless of how much it hurt at first. She quickly stopped from the pain, and her tears started to fall between sobs. This time the truth of Brett being gone was enough to break her for good."I cannot take this anymore! Let me come with you; if you are all that is left of Brett; then I want to be with you."

Brett contemplated the proposal, but it was less desirable to him and more of a burden. "I'm not attracted to you in the slightest; you are aggravating and a pest. I cannot be burdened by you, and I won't share what I gain…"

Blair stopped crying; her friends could not believe what she was saying. "You can change me to what ever you want me to be. Change my mind, my body, my soul to what ever you desire. I pledge my self to you forever; just let me stay by your side forever…" Brett suddenly changed his mind; this was looking to be promising. "Very well; come over here and pledge your self to your new master for all eternity. How pathetic to see you give up after all your blabber…"

Blair's expression changed immediately; she was now smiling and ran over to his side. She wrapped her arms around his waist and breathed in his scent; it was so wonderful to be back at his side. "I pledge my self to you master Brett; do with me what you want."

"Blair stop this; this is wrong; you will be corrupted as well!" Jaden finished yelling and Blair quickly worked up the courage to speak her mind. "I love Brett more then anything; if this is what I have to do to be with him then so be it. You could not have imagined the pain of not being with him; you just can't…"

Everyone could not say anything after that; Blair had been through a lot. Blair's head rested on his chest. Brett began to lead her toward the boat; once again they were together. Alexis jumped into their path; "There is no way either of you are going to leave like this. I will not let this continue Brett; Blair disserves the real you after all this… more then that I won't allow you to hurt anyone else."

"I do not know about the last part, but I fully agree with the weak human. Brett you are not leaving this island like that." The voice came from no where; suddenly a human sized machine came down from the sky. Brett knew who it was; he pushed Blair into Alexis who caught her. "Why in the hell are you here Fayt, and why are you in you tech form?"

"This is my form from now on; I only care about power, and also stirring up things to my benefit. I sensed Jenova's power, and here I find you, and you seem a little different. Now I'm going to take that power away from you before you destroy it anymore; you were not made for it like I was, and there is no way you should have what I asked for." Brett looked at Fayt with disgust; he summoned two wings and flew up to his level. "What do you mean Fayt, why would I destroy something so liberating?"

"What do I mean; your power of healing and light is corrupting the Negastream. Soon it will be destroyed and gone, and your powers of Light will be destroyed too which is just a super waste. Enough of this though; I'm taking it back even if it is over your dead body!" Fayt used his thrusters to move forward and he tried to grab Brett, but Brett evaded. Brett was finding out just how weak he had become; everything including summoning two wings felt nearly impossible.

"I will never give my power to you Fayt!" Brett finished and evaded again; this time up into the air. The wings flying power was so much weaker, and he turned to look at the scrawny mostly destroyed wings. Fayt followed; his attacks only steered Brett in the directions Fayt wanted. Brett could not beat him; he had to evade till he thought of a plan. Blair stood there amazed; she looked up to Alexis who was smiling, and her eyes were filled with hope. "Does this mean that…?"

Alexis smiled and nodded; Blair tried to apologize for doing what she did, but Alexis silenced her with a little squeeze to Blair's left shoulder. Blair was happy with the promise of things were going to get back to normal. Axel was not so happy though; "excuse me but Brett is still in danger. We have to save him; then we will deal with this other stuff later."

Axel readied his Chakrams to be thrown; he aimed till he heard another familiar voice. Axel dodged out of the way of two key shaped blades; the blades missed Axel and Brett's friends looked over to see a new man cloaked in black. "Axel I told you next time we met we would be enemies. Axel you are going down today!"

"Roxas stop this; I have to help Brett. " Axel landed and was met with another twin swipe; each keyblade met with a chakram. "Please Axel you are now a traitor; I hope this Brett is worth it. You are no longer my friend; you are my enemy; so die already!" The two broke the stalemate before continuing to slash at the other. Both could not get past the others power; their power was evenly matched, but Axel kept trying to end this so he could help Brett.

Fayt continued to pursue him; he fired his laser rifle to steer Brett in what ever way he felt was best. Brett's strength was non existent compared, and he could no longer run. Fayt gave a mighty thrust and snagged Brett face with his metallic palm. Fayt was leaving no chance; his grip tightened around Brett's head and soon he stopped struggling. The grey energy was being ripped from his body.

"What is going to happen to Brett? What about the real one I love, or this fake Brett?" Blair questioned with great concern in her voice. "Like I care? Once I take the energy this fake Brett will disappear; but I could care less really. The only thing I care about is that I finally get what I want…"

Axel heard this and summoned a great deal of his power; a burst of flame sent his attacker. The attacker was badly burned, and retreated into a portal of dark energy. Fayt had finished extracting the power; Brett hung in the air lifelessly. "Here take this lifeless doll and be happy I was merciful. You better pray he can find the way back; that other thing is gone; my way of riding one less thing like me because there will only ever be one like me."

The lifeless Brett dropped down into the ocean; Blair and Alexis both dived into the water. Everyone was hoping that they could save him; seconds later Alexis came up to the surface alone and empty handed. Time continued to pass; Fayt was still adjusting, but that did not matter to anyone. It was a good show to watch while Fayt adjusted to his new found change.

Half a minute passed; the bubbles stopped coming to the surface, and everyone else felt their hearts skip a beat. Suddenly Blair burst through the surface of the water with Brett. She swam over with Alexis and Brett over to the dock. Blair got out and pulled Brett out by herself; Alexis got out and all three were drenched from head to toe, but more important they were safe. They looked over to see Brett looking exactly like normal; they breathed a sigh of relief at the fact it was over for now.

"This is it, but Jenova you still owe me more…" Fayt disappeared into the air with no portals, but it was not important to any of Brett's friends. Blair got up and lifted Brett with her. She had no trouble lifting Brett which was a little surprising. Alexis walked over to Blair and put her hand on Brett's head; "he has a pulse. Let's get him back to your room; we can all dry off there."

They all left immediately for the Blue girls' dorm; they hurried, and when they arrived they were all let in. They set him down on the bed; Blair and Alexis grabbed some new clothes and left for the shower. Blair was a little nervous about leaving him again, but she knew he would be fine. Axel stopped Blair though because he just had to ask a question. "Blair how exactly did you carry him back here by your self?"

Blair was a little surprised but the answer was easy; "Brett weighs almost nothing for some reason. He is super light…" Axel rushed over and tried to lift him up; he was shocked to find Blair was right. He weighed nothing to him; Jasmine disappeared for a second and brought back a scale. They set Brett's lifeless body down on it; the scale only read a total of 35 pounds. They were all shocked, but it mattered little and they needed to get him out of those wet clothes.

The girls left into the hall so that the guys could get Brett changed. Blair paused for a moment; she felt she had to ask Alexis something. "Alexis… Do you think that Brett will be alright?" Alexis stopped and turned around; "Blair I know the last two days has been hard on you, but he will be fine. That other person said he will come back eventually, and I know he will come back for you. Stop worrying; we will all pretend like this never happened… ok?"

Blair nodded and slowly walked of to the other shower, and she made sure it was a quick one. Afterwards everyone left Blair and Brett alone; Alexis brought her food, and together they ate and made sure Brett had some too even though it was a challenge in it self. Alexis left after super; Blair just lay down with Brett for hours till she fell asleep. Alexis was right; Brett would find his way back. Sleeping beside him felt so good; she was so tired that she fell asleep early, and quickly she was in a deep sleep.

It was nearly midnight; the two slept side by side; the wall with the window turned into shadows while two individuals stepped out from it. "The last two; all the other individuals have had their minds cleared of him." The male individual finished speaking in time for the female to begin speaking. "We must complete the mission; almost all minds have been gathered; these are the last two."

The male stood over Brett while the Female stood over Blair; they lifted a single hand over their heads while their other hand touched a single blue orb. Waves came out of both Brett and Blair's heads. "The female target is resisting; these must be important. I shall replace them with who she should be after… Jaden." The male nodded in response; soon they both finished, and pocketed the blue orb.

"His mind is gone from his body; he will pose no further problems. We should take him and his stuff, and that will be the end of this." The male finished speaking, and a dark presence formed around the room. "Teleportation abilities are not working; we must make for the rendezvous point on foot." They nodded and grabbed Brett and all of his stuff; together they left the dorm with no problems.

They walked at a quickened pace; Brett's stuff was slowing them down, and putting them at risk. The female dropped his stuff, and the male stopped; "we cannot leave any trace of his existence; we have to get rid of that as well." The female ran up beside him; "it is slowing us down. Even if someone finds it will not make any difference." The male shook his head; "we do not have that luxury; Aura appointed us with this task, and if we fail I need not remind you what will happen."

They both stopped arguing when the dark presence returned. Up from in front of them; directly in front of them rose a figure with black hair. "I must commend both of you on doing the hard part for me. To impress Nero the Sable takes great skill; so I commend you on that as well, but I'm afraid that he is mine. I'm afraid I cannot take no for an answer, my brother will be very pleased to see this. Now that he is a lifeless doll; he will be so much easier to be used to help our cause."

The female panicked from the sight of Nero; "this is not good he is like nothing I have ever seen. What should we do?" The male kept his composure; letting this thing get Brett was the worst outcome, and needed to be prevented. "If the Erasers cannot have him; then we will make it impossible for him."

The male took out a smaller blue orb then the one he put Brett's mind in. It was placed on Brett's forehead, and slowly it dissolved into his head. The female pulled out a grenade and threw it at Nero's feet. The grenade bounced once before Nero used his dark abilities to teleport it back to the Erasers feet. The male turned and threw Brett away just before the grenade went off.

The force sent Brett and the Erasers flying back into the forest; both the Erasers landed, and their bodies were critically wounded. Brett had been carried off by the shear force deep into the woods. Nero approached the two soon to be dead Erasers looking at them like help less vermin. The male disappeared into waves of light; he approached the female to finish the job.

His head slowly rotated while still looking at her; the female was not moving and Nero let out a laugh in content. The female flipped over holding a gun that was pointed at Nero; "go to hell; I don't fear death so long as I obey my masters command." She fired off multiple shots into Nero; she fired a total of eight shots into Nero before she disappeared into waves of light.

Nero collapsed to his knees; he wanted to go find Brett, but his body was to badly injured. He retreated into the darkness back to his base of operations. This was a humiliation that would not be soon forgotten. Brett lay in the woods; unharmed, but unconscious…


	16. Chapter 13 The Forgotten

Chapter 12 The Forgotten

Chapter 13 The Forgotten

"Hey Alexis…!" Blair shouted as she ran across the field towards her friend. "Oh hi Blair and how are you feeling today?" Alexis asked while Blair ran up to her. "I'm a little tired; must oh been from all those duels yesterday." Alexis nodded and Chazz, Hasleberry, Axel, and Syrus all came running up to them. "Hey there; what are all you pretty girls doing out here all alone?"

Alexis and Blair looked at Axel strangely, but chose to ignore him; Blair continued to talk with Alexis. "So what about Jaden; has he finally emerged from his room?" Alexis could only shake her head no. "That poor guy; he has been through a lot. Maybe if we go see him then we could cheer him up!" Blair said with enthusiasm.

"Leave the guy alone; he does not even have those kinds of feelings for you! And besides he wants to be left alone for his own reasons so stop prying." Chazz said causing Blair to get angry at him, and Alexis let out a little laugh. "I think Chazz is right…" Chazz and Blair stopped arguing; Chazz was just happy to hear that someone agreed with him, and it was even better that Alexis agreed with him. "Jaden just needs time to sort things out; he will be fine."

"This has been a weird year huh? I mean the Sarge and the other dimension stuff; it blows my mind to think about all of that. Sarge is tougher then this and he will be fine." Everyone could not help but agree to Hasleberry's statement. "I wonder how are other friends are doing out there?" Blair asked; she wondered if Marcel missed her, but Jaden was her primary concern.

"HEY GUYS…!" Everyone turned their heads to see a familiar face running towards them. Blair's eyes shot open; "Britney!" The two ran into each other and hugged; they bounced up and down and Chazz let out a sigh. Britney broke the hug and ran over to Hasleberry and kissed him on the cheek. "Hey my big strong dino boy…" Hasleberry went beat red, and could not form a sentence.

"Hey Britney; did you change your hair color?" Alexis asked, and the young girl span around once. "Is it that obvious; I mean my hair was blue, but I thought I would go pink for now just because of how much better it looks. And before anyone says anything I know my visit is sudden, but I have news. Now I'm an official member of Duel Academy! I could just not stay away after everything I heard that was going on."

Everyone was happy to hear the news; even Chazz was a little happy. Blair however was slightly confused about the excitement. "Wow being a pop star slash model is not exiting? All that is really happened is Jaden is back, and we had a tournament." Britney nearly through a fit; she stepped over to Blair and pushed her backwards slightly. "You are terrible! How could you say that? Brett was in serious danger twice and turned evil. How could you leave out that about your boyfriend?"

"What are you talking about? None of that happened. You know my dream guy is Jaden, and who is this Brett anyways? I have never met anyone with that name." Everyone else shrugged that they did not know him either. Britney paused for a second before starting to laugh; "okay I get it; nice one Alexis. You knew I was coming, and now that everything is fine you think you can joke about it!"

Britney's voice got increasingly angry; she did not find anything funny. Alexis questioned her, and Britney showed her the messages. Alexis still had no idea; Britney was getting tired of this joke. "Okay the messages may have been a hoax, but what about before. Remember by the cliff with the Paradox brothers? The huge battle in the other dimension…? Jenova…? Anything…? Pegasus's SON…!"

"You ok? Pegasus does not have a son that I know of; and all of those things were Jaden is the only real hero around here." Alexis finished speaking to let Blair talk; she looked up to the sky and her eyes went all cloudy and she blushed heavily. "That is why Jaden is the only guy for me. He is so dreamy and such a hero; I know that this young maiden will win his heart." Britney had enough of this; "ALL OF YOU STOP THIS NOW!"

Jaden came over the hill to see what was with all the yelling. "Oh Britney, your back; when did you get here?" Jaden asked; while Alexis and Blair ran over like he was dying. They asked how he was feeling, and Blair looked at him like she had looked at Brett, and Britney could just not figure this out. "Jaden please tell me you remember Brett. Other wise I'm going to go nuts AND TAKE YOU ALL WITH ME!"

Everyone was a little afraid with Britney's tone of voice, but she had enough of all this. "Calm down Britney; what about Brett…? Actually I'm surprised he is not here right now." You must be worried about him considering how much he has been through. Blair is taking good care of him so do not worry; after all Blair cares about him more then anything." Jaden suddenly felt a tugging on his shirt; he looked down to see Blair starring at him. "Jaden I do not know any guy named Brett. You are the only guy for me anyways and no one could replace you in my heart…"

"What are you talking about…?" Jaden asked and Britney interrupted him with his answer. "None of these guys could remember anything about him. Jaden something is wrong…" Jaden knew something was wrong, but why were only he and Britney not affected. Then it hit him; Britney had been away, and he had Yubel's protection now. "Someone has erased Brett from their minds, but who could do this…?"

Deep in the jungle woke a young man; "how did I get out here? What is my name…? I feel so week, but I better get out of here.

"Maybe someone else will know me…" The young brown haired man began to walk out of the forest. It was nice and peaceful, but it did not seem like a good place to live, and maybe someone would know who he was.

Song Origin of Kuja

Suddenly around him appeared five male and five females appeared around him. Each wore a black robe, and each carried a gun. One of the females pointed at the young man; "there is the target. We must apprehend him at all cost, but he must be captured alive." The young man was frightened by this; why did they want him, but soon those thoughts changed for him.

He started to run in the opposite direction as fast as possible. "After him; we cannot let him escape!" shouted the lead male. All ten of them took off after Brett's body. Brett weaved through the trees; the lead female lifted her gun and shot through the trees at Brett. The bullets stopped Brett from weaving, and he decided just to continue running as fast as possible instead of getting fancy.

The lead male thought that he could scare him, and he lifted an aimed his gun. Brett passed a tree and the bullet shot right through the tree. The high power bullet scarred the young couple behind it, and Brett continued to run with the others chasing him. Brett jumped onto a tree and pushed off sending him flying through the air. He rolled on the ground and finally cleared the woods.

Everyone's ears perked up; the sounds of gunshots attracted everyone's attention. Brett emerged from the woods running at his fastest speed. Britney smiled; "Brett! OVER HERE!" behind him appeared five male individuals that were all carrying guns. Britney's mouth flew open; "Brett look out behind you." The young man was questioning if that was his name, but he was still slightly more concerned with the individuals carrying loaded weapons.

Brett ran right past Blair and the others and said nothing. He ran by them but stopped when the five females teleported in front of him. The five male individuals ran past Blair and the others All ten surrounded Brett and held there guns up to Brett. There was no escape for him this time. Britney ran up to the lead male and demanded answers; "what have you done with everyone's memories? Who are you?"

"We are the Erasers; a group that fixes the timeline to what it should be should it change, but it looks like our Erasers missed you and that guy." Jaden looked at the lead male with disgust; "how could you do this to him?" Blair was questioning if it was true; the young man was cute, but was she in love with him at some point. "Like I said; the Erasers will erase what should not be. He is one of those things, but this time we will erase off of your minds of him, and things will return to normal."

Jaden and Britney both were unhappy with this; they would not allow it. More duelists including the Chancellor and Mrs. Fontaine gathered with students. The lead male Eraser turned back to Brett; "Exia of Light, you will come with us now. Aura demands your presence and you will forget everything. Now will you accept…?"

Brett paused for a moment, but then a voice came from no where. "You pathetic Erasers are trying to steal him again; Brett will not go with you!" Nero came up out of a dark portal and stood beside Brett. "Brett; these creatures took everything from you. Your memories and your life, and they are going to use you. Let me help you; let me in and I will protect you from everyone."

The lead male Eraser and Jaden both shouted for Brett to stop and not listen. Brett did not know why but his voice was familiar; he shook his head yes and Nero's disappeared into a dark cloud that entered Brett's body. Jaden shouted for this to stop, but it was too late. The darkness had fused with Brett; his hair and eyes turned black, and Nero's voice was the next thing to come out.

"This is amazing; the power and knowledge is still here, and it is far greater then I could imagine. Now I and my brethren will finally achieve what we desire. We have fused to form the perfect combination of light and darkness!" The power was overwhelming Nero, and the lead male Eraser ran over to the lead female Eraser. "If I do not succeed then use this; if anything we cannot let the contamination continue…"

Song Kougeki Taisei

A single blue orb was given to the female; she held it in her hand and nodded. "For the good of Aura and everything we must not let this creature get hold of him." The female nodded again; "I understand. We shall complete the mission in your stead. We must complete the mission or at least prevent the spread of contamination."

"You cannot stop me; this merge was agreed upon by both sides. This merge is full and complete; you destroyed his mind and left him open. You are the ones to blame for this! You cannot stop us…" The male ran at him at ducked before using his leg to try and trip him. Nero leapt high into the air and looked down on him; the male looked up, and with a serious tone spoke. "I will kill two birds with one stone…"

A bullet was fired from his gun upwards; dark waves appeared on Nero's new body's back. From it shot out a long metal arm with a claw on the end; the new arm blocked the bullet. The male leapt out of the way of Nero's decent; the claw went out words to try and slash him, but he leapt up and kicked off the claw clearing distance away from Nero.

Another arm shot out from Brett's captured body; the same as the previous but on the opposite side. More bullets were fired with deadly accuracy, but each was blocked by the arms, while Nero moved in close for the kill. The lead male Eraser jumped to the opposite side and fired more bullets till his clip was empty; the bullets were blocked by a shield of light that melted the bullets away to nothing.

The Eraser threw off his cloak to reveal his black leather armor. He grabbed a sword from its sheath and readied it; "Nero you shall not have no matter what we must do. You do not belong here either. I will kill you and spare him; he must live to see Aura!" The Eraser went in for the kill, but the long metal claw reached back and snagged a tree. It was torn from the ground and swung over his head.

The tree came down on the Eraser and he vanished into dark waves. Jaden was about to run in and stop this, but then a female Eraser blocked his path. They began to circle around him; their weapons still pointing at Brett who was corrupted by Nero. The Female Eraser apologized to Aura before she threw the orb at the earth.

The blue orb hit and was smashed into a thousand pieces; a blue wave came out and swept across all of Duel Academy. Slowly everyone's minds remembered the truth about what had happened. They remembered Brett, and their old memories fused with the new, and they went back to being who they were. All the rushing back memories were too intense for some at first, but everything was relived in an instant.

Blair opened her eyes; she remembered Brett; she was hurt that she forgot Brett so easily but glad that she could. She hated the Erasers and Nero for trying to take him away, but then she remembered the situation. Everyone was back to the way they were before the whole ordeal. Blair was about to run forward and be with Brett who just stood there. Hasleberry jumped and grabbed Blair; Blair was about to ask why when she saw Brett was acting strange.

Song The Fall of Neo Kuja

Brett grasped his head from the unbelievable pain; screams came forth that had never been heard before. The cries of Brett were so terrible; that they frightened everyone in ear shot. The two other minds of the previous Brett's were in direct conflict with his own original mind. The pain was unbelievable, and each second it got worse.

Nero started to lose his bond with Brett; Brett whipped his head down, and Nero's head un-fused with Brett. Nero was still standing, while Brett had dropped to his knees; Nero stood part way fuse with him, but his expression showed that Nero was struggling. Nero was trying his hardest to stay fused; he was about to talk when the light surged in Brett's being.

Nero shot out past the circle of Erasers; his body had been burned by the light, and he quickly decided to retreat. Brett was still kneeling, but the pain forced him to shout to the heavens. "WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU ALL DONE TO ME! I HATE YOU ALL! I HATE EVERYONE OF YOU; I WILL KILL YOU ALL!" Blair was shaking when she heard that; Hasleberry held her back, but all of her friends were terrified of his screams.

Song Zanarkand

Brett suddenly stopped; the pause was nerve shattering to see someone in so much pain just stop. Seconds past and still nothing; the Erasers decided to close in on him. Brett slowly lifted his head to look at the Erasers. "Get the hell away; this is my home and you will not take me…" His head shook and his expression changed again. "I will murder you for what you have done! Who am I… What has happened to me!"

No one could understand what was going on, but Brett's body was starting to glow. His body shook slightly, and his head started to whip around. The lead female Eraser waited for another moment; she was unsure but they had to seize him now. "Subdue him now, but take him alive…" They all leapt on Brett, and another surge of light happened, and the light forced the Erasers back through the air.

Light eclipsed Brett's body and did not fade; his body was completely made of light. His arms and legs grew thicker, and each limb got massive claws formed from light. Eyes appeared on this new form; a demonic red color that pierced very souls. The Erasers recovered and the lead Eraser had a shocked expression. "It is not possible; another form. Aura had no information on this thing, and he should be too weak for forms…"

"Stay the hell away you bast… I will not leave the people I love… who the hell am I?" The broken sentences echoed outwards from the creature of Light. It did not move but the Erasers took the opportunity and fired multiple bullets into Brett's new form. Each bullet hit the light and melted into nothing. Entire clips were emptied with no effect, and it was time to change the plan; if victory was to be assured.

The light was so intense that bullets melted on there approach and never reached anywhere near the creature. The lead eraser drew her sword and readied it to stab the creature. She ran forward ready to stab the beast, and the form's eyes flashed once. Its arm grabbed the blade out of the air, and a beastly roar emanated from the creature. The sword melted and ran down the woman's arm; she screamed from the pain of the liquid hot metal that was running down her arm; her cloak was melting and singing her skin, and the pain was too intense.

She screamed and let go of her sword; the light creature jumped into the air and came down on the girl. She was instantly crushed by hand of light, and disappeared back into darkness. The other eight Erasers rushed Brett from all sides, and the creature responded. Two erasers ran in on the light creature, but it leapt out of the way. Its arms shot out and grabbed the two attackers in an instant, and then smashed them together.

The force was enough to destroy the two attackers in an instant. The force of the attack sent a gust of wind outwards in every direction that was a fairly powerful torrent of air. The blood red eyes were glowing and very predominate on the white creature that emitted more then a fair amount of heat to everyone nearby.

The creature landed on the ground, and the earth below was crushed under its feet. Blair was having a hard time trying to struggle free. She knew that she could stop this, but Hasleberry would not let her go. "Blair stop it is too dangerous and he is not the only one who really cares for you." Blair stopped struggling when she heard that; Britney glanced over at him, but then a mighty roar broke the moment.

The creature stood there; waiting for another round of attacks, but the Erasers were more then intimidated. Fear had gripped them, and snarling started too emanated from the creature. There was no doubt that the target had gone insane, and that it had to be brought down. Each of the remaining Erasers spread out; this form had to be stopped before more got hurt, or at least it had to be subdued.

Axel slowly circled around the outside of the fight zone; he was ready to jump in at a moments notice. His weapons were drawn and ready to strike, Axel was psyching him self up. Even Axel was a little intimidated by this new form of Brett's; the raw power that was present was intense. Blair continued to struggle; she was not going to lose him again.

"Bring it down!" Shouted a male Eraser; the group split up into multiple attack waves. The first man ran in; only to watch the creature jump into the air; his foot snagged the attacker and tossed him into the air. The creature roared and shot eight beams from its body; destroying each of the eight remaining Erasers.

The creature did not change back; another beam started to charge in its hand. Blair broke free and started to run towards Brett; she knew she could stop him. Axel panicked when he saw the creature not relenting, and he worried Blair would be hurt. "Brett stop please; do not hurt anyone else. I promised I would protect you!" Axel ran directly towards Blair; the creature finished charging and fired its attack at Blair.

Blair had faith that he would make it turn, but Axel was not going to take that chance. He ran in and pushed out of the way; he covered his face, and prayed for something to save him. Blair cried out his name, and the beam bent straight up into the air. Axel opened his eyes to see that he was fine, but confused to see the creature had relented.

It just stood there for a moment; before dropping to its knees. The light faded and Brett could be seen; he was still holding his head to try and stop the throbbing pain. "WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME!" Gentle sobs could be heard from him after finishing his loud question; Blair rose to her feet and ran towards him, but was stopped at Brett's command. "Stay away Blair…"

Blair paused; she was confused, but Brett stopped for a second before continuing. "I can't control my powers… I could hurt you so just stay away! I do not want to hurt you… I can't do this anymore; I can't keep going…!" He let out a loud terrifying scream upon finishing; it did not matter to Blair though. She knew that he needed her, and she chose not to head Brett's warning.

The island was enveloped in light; the moment it was gone, and so was Brett. "Where did he go?" Britney asked; "Is he gone, or worse?" Blair shook her head; "no he is not gone. He is still on this island and I know where. I have to go help him, and I have to do it alone." Axel was unhappy with this attitude of Blair; "no it is way too dangerous. We have no idea how many more Erasers there are, or even if that other guy will come back."

A hand grabbed Axel's shoulder; he turned around to see Alexis shaking her head. Axel was not about to give in so easily though; "Blair if something were to happen to you; well Brett would never forgive me. You should not be going alone; what if Brett loses control…" Blair had considered that possibility, but it did not mater to her.

"Axel thank you for your concern, but this is something I have to do. I know what is wrong with, and I can help; besides, after I have to apologize for the things that I have done. This is something that I feel I have to do; besides I know that I can bring him back." Alexis squeezed Axel's shoulder; he could not protest even though he was still strongly opposed.

Alexis nodded to Blair; the young girl took off; heading towards the abandoned dorm. Axel stood and watched; "I know Blair feels that way about him, but she is not the only one who cares about him." Alexis turned Axel around; "I know Axel. We all feel the same way, but I think that the only thing that has kept Brett's soul alive is her for the most part. She will come back with him, and she will be fine…"

"Still I feel so useless; I have done nothing but watch this whole time, and things are not getting better." Axel finished his comment, and it really sank in. They had never really been helping as much as possible. Britney could see that her friends needed her, and she knew what Brett needed to. "Stop with this gloomy stuff; it is not what Brett needs. Let's get a surprise ready for him; we need to give him more happy and less gloom. Let's show Brett he really is happy here."

Everyone could agree on this; most of the crowd was starting to leave, and Jaden had to catch a certain person. He ran over to and stopped the person that he needed to talk to. "Chancellor; I need to talk to you about something…" Chancellor Sheppard turned and offered a smile to Jaden. "If you are asking about Brett; then do not worry. He is one our star students and he is very popular, and I know he has been through a lot… I do not hold this against him, so please do not worry Jaden."

Alone in the Abandoned Dorm Brett sat alone; the floor was cold and his body was running on little energy. The pain still felt like a hot metal spike being driven through his head. He was fatigued to the point of exhaustion, but he could not sleep with this torment. He sat there praying for anything to end this pain; his mind thought of nothing else.

"My poor Brett; how are you? I'm sorry I could not stay with you earlier." Brett immediately looked up to see Nero looking down on him. "Nero…? What are you doing here…?" Nero watched Brett still writhing in pain; "Brett you have been suffering so much; your poor soul is in so much pain. I'm the only one that can aid you in this; lower your defenses, and let me in, and I will rid you of this burden and give you peace…"

The soul of Brett had taken to much damage, and so too had his mind. He needed something to end this pain; he was confused from the pain, but the only thing that mattered was ending this and getting some relief. Brett agreed to Nero's demands; the promise of relief was far too tempting. "Brett I'm so sorry that you have had to endure this, but let me in again and give me control, and I promise you will not have to deal with this ever again."

"Please! Please stop all this pain; I trust you Nero… I trust you completely just end this…" Brett let down his guard completely when he started to get teary eyed from the pain; his defensive power of light was subdued of his own accord. Nero let his real hands fall from their normal position on his upper body. He kneeled down beside Brett; his arm slowly pushed into Brett's chest; the arm opened a dark portal on Brett's chest, and the arm melted into Brett's chest.

A sigh of relief came from Brett's mouth; all the pain disappeared from Brett's mind. A tear formed in Brett's eye; he could not believe what a relief this was. He had been through so much torture since he got back, and his face could not help but show a smile. "Does it feel good to have me as part of you again? Let me have control; give in and I promise that you will never feel pain again. You will aid me so much, and you will never worry about this pain again…"

Brett wanted to give in, this was paradise and it was so temping. Brett could now relax; Nero kneeled before Brett, and he patiently waited fro all the suffering to end. Blair ran in and saw Axel with his hand fused into Brett's chest. "Get away from him!" Blair yelled before she ran up to Brett; she stopped beside him and immediately hugged him. Light shown out from Brett and forced Nero's hand came out of Brett's chest.

Nero jumped back and away; the light was shear poison to him. The pain returned to Brett; Blair watched and turned to Nero, and she was expecting answers. "What did you do to him?"

Nero paused for a moment to examine both of them, and he was ready to claim his prize by what ever means. "My dear, what ever do you speak of? I was helping him escape from the pain; this poor tortured soul deserves peace from all the torture he has had to endure. I merely aided him his relief…"

"No you should not be the one to be doing that; I promised to protect him, and I have will not let you take away the person I love…" Brett looked over at Blair; her words had offered him some relief, but he was still unsure about whom to side with. "Young maiden; you have not been protecting him very well of late… I actually stopped the Erasers, while you slept, and you forgot. I will take him away from you where he will be happy forever; away from you. I have proven that I am worthy of him, such a perfect creature…"

"Don't talk about him like that; he is not some thing! He is someone; I love him and he will stay with me. I know that lately I have messed up with him, but I will be the person to help him through this. I know I can help him, I won't let him down again." Brett turned side ways and wrapped his arms around Blair; he believed in her, and he was still very much in love with her. Nero knew he had to split them up, he would not be defeated by a young girl.

"Perhaps you can help him… but then there is still another problem. The reason that Brett does not tell you about his problems is because he does not want to burden you, but the problem is much deeper. The threat of you being hurt makes him push you away; he truly would rather you be with someone else… I have been in his mind, and I know it to be true…" Nero was sure this would hurt her; he needed to break this bond forever.

"Even if that is true; that does not matter right now to me. If it is true and we are meant to be together; then I know that we can sort it out. I trust Brett, and I know that he trusts me. I will protect him the way he always protects me, and right now I know that I have to protect him from you. Brett has chosen me over you and you can see that because he has only moved closer tome; I will never trust you again. Brett let's leave now…" Nero was furious that his plan had failed; he was not going to let anything take Brett

"You will not take him from me!" Nero shouted while he drew his guns. Nero was not going to let his prized leave him again; Brett was his and only his. Blair turned back to look at Brett; she then heard the guns fire, and she shut her eyes tightly. Nothing was going to hurt her or Brett.

A flash of feathers burst around Brett and Blair, and two wings wrapped them in a cocoon. The bullets did not hit the wings, but they bounced off a shield that was emitted a few centimeters away from the wings. Nero stood there in horror; "how can this be?" Blair opened her eyes; she was not sure how Brett had saved her. Brett looked up at Blair and he gasped; they were Blair's white angelic wings that saved them.

"Blair; you have wings… You look so beautiful, like an angel but your light is so gentle and dazzling…" Brett's soft words made Blair realize it was her wings that saved them; she was shocked, but glad to see she had finally protected him. Blair retracted her wings, and Nero was right beside her. His hands were empty and one wrapped around Blair's throat. The other was plunged into Brett's chest; Nero was done playing with this girl.

"I tried to give everyone a nice ending, but you all have aggravated me for the last time. I said that no one would take him from me, but know you both will suffer…" Nero finished his statement, and was ready to finish both of them. Blair and Brett did not enjoy hearing that, and they both shouted to Nero at the same time. "You will not hurt the one I love…"

Both of their bodies shot a light that burned Nero badly; he stood there crying out in pain. "You will both suffer by my hand no matter how long it takes!" He ended his sentence and disappeared into the darkness. Blair quickly recovered, and went over and sat beside Brett. He was shivering; the pain was a factor, but in his weakened state he was sensitive to the cold floor. He was beginning to freeze and Blair could see he was shaking.

They both wanted to leave, but first Blair had to ask him some things. Her wings wrapped around him, and slowly he stopped shivering. "Brett… I need to talk to you before we leave. I need to apologize, I should not have not let you fight Jenova. I should have protected you and tried to save you from the Negastream sooner. I'm so mad at myself for not helping you sooner, and I'm so mad at myself for even forgetting you. I'm just so sorry…"

"Blair it is not your fault; what happened, happened for a reason. You came for me; you are stronger then me; you saved me from Nero. Do not feel sorry or apologize; what ever you did, you never gave up on me, and that is what is important…" Blair heard this and stopped talking; her head was pressed into the top of his head. Minutes passed and Blair was glad that Brett understood and was truly forgiving.

"Brett was what Nero said true…? About that you are pushing me away?" A momentary pause was given before a small acknowledgement was given from Brett. Blair's expression saddened; "do you really feel that way about us. Are the risks greater then the happiness you get from being with me? Are there no happy moments that make it better then the risk of me being hurt? I would gladly risk my safety to be with you, and please think back long and hard about this because I don't want you to be unhappy with me."

Memories passed through Brett's mind; all of their history flashed by him in a few minutes. Brett could see all the happy moments with the sad. He was still very much in love with her, but how could he put the one he loved in danger. No answer came out, and Blair started to move away from Brett, but Brett immediately started to sob. Blair lifted her head and looked down on him; Brett had grabbed her hand and had no intension of letting go.

"Blair please do not leave me; you are the best thing in my life…" Blair let a smile out, but she still wanted to make sure. "Brett I will always be by your side supporting you. The question is do you still want me at you side as a friend? Or as your girlfriend…?" Brett did not wait to answer; "I still want you as my girlfriend. I want us to become so much more; I adore everything about you, and I do not want the happy memories to end here like this…"

Blair was incredibly relieved to hear the answer was what Brett said; she had wanted him, but this problem had to be fixed. "Fine Brett I will stay with you, but you have to promise me. I want you to share more with me, because I really care about you and want us to stay together. I want you to promise me that you will not push me away no matter what. And last I want you to never regret being with me…"

"I promise Blair; my mind is shattered but I swear it to you. I do not know if I will be the exact same as I ever was, but I want you to know one more things. I truly love being with you, and that I will never regret it again. What ever is left of me; I promise that I'm yours…" Blair wrapped her arms around him, and she squeezed him with all her might. "I'm so happy to hear that, and do not worry; I promise that I will help you get back to who you were…"

Brett broke her grip and turned around and gave her a hug; he was still crying slightly. Blair could tell he was being truthful; she knew that right now he needed support. "Brett do not worry; we will get you back to normal; I promise that you are going to be okay, alright? Brett I love you ore then any other guy I know. Now let's get out of here before you get sick; I know your other friend will want to see you too."

Blair let her wings disappear; she helped him up, and he was even lighter to her. They left the abandoned dorm to see a beautiful sunset. Blair looked off into it and smiled; "to a new beginning for us…" Brett shook his head in response; "no it is not a new beginning. We never ended it, but I'm glad that I'm here with you, and I know we will be happy together again."

They continued to walk through the fields towards their room. They felt so close and so happy together. Blair knew Brett would keep his promise; it was what she wanted. She wanted Brett to be with her, but only if he wanted the same thing. Blair had changed so much, but the one thing that stayed the same was her love for Brett, and after what they had been through they both knew that they were destined to be together.

They both arrived at the dorm; the pain was becoming more present again in his mind. They walked through the door to see all of his friends; they all shouted surprise, and Brett was overwhelmed by the sight. Everyone was smiling; Alexis could not take her off the happy sight. Everyone ran over and crowded Brett; Alexis kissed Brett on the head and decided to speak for everyone.

"Brett we all just wanted you to know that we are glad you are back. We are not going to let anything else happen to you; we just to welcome you back to your home." Brett looked at all of his smiling friends, and the pain disappeared. This is where he belonged, and he was so happy that his and Blair's relation had never been stronger. He knew this is where he belonged; this was him home; this was his home and he was surrounded by people who loved him. Even with the future so uncertain, Brett still felt confidant with friends like this supporting him.


	17. Chapter 14 Time And Space

Chapter 14 Time and Space

Chapter 14 Time and Space

Nearly a full day had passed since Brett and Blair had returned to find a small party for them. Blair sat beside Brett who had finally fallen asleep; they were together near their dorm beside the small lake. It was a calming peaceful scene were the water rippled only slightly, and the noise was minimal except for what nature provided. Brett had been awake since yesterday; his mind was absolutely active with his power trying to restore him to normal as well as two other minds fighting to survive.

Blair fell asleep lying beside Brett; she found the same safety and joy in lying beside again. This time it felt some how different, but in a better way. Brett lay beside her and was happy to be back beside her. He wanted to stay beside her forever, especially after what had happened before and Blair promising to help him. Blair's hand rubbed against his chest, and she gave happy sounding moans from her deep sleep. Brett was just happy to see her happy; he remembered his promise one that he still would keep.

The following morning; Blair had decided to take the day off school. Brett needed her more; she asked him if he wanted to spend the day with her out of class, and Brett said yes almost immediately. Despite Blair's best efforts she could not get him to fall asleep and eventually she took Brett outside to try and help ease his mind. They sat beside the lake; Blair slowly calmed his nerves and soon he finally drifted off asleep.

Blair knew that he needed four very important things that were time, sleep, protection, and support. All of these things were easy for Blair to do, and she knew that she could help Brett get back to normal in no time. Brett had been running on pure steam up till now he needed the rest, so seeing him asleep was a huge relief. His powers had reverted back to their first level, and he needed time to recover his strength before he could even begin to get his powers back.

Thoughts passed through her mind about the party; Brett was very silent during a lot from the start to finish but he had a lot on his mind. Everyone offered their support and protection, and Brett graciously accepted. Blair had showed her new wings to everyone; they all thought it was amazing and a good sign for both Brett and Blair. The party had boosted Brett's spirits, and now he was finally sleeping peacefully even though he still had a long way to go.

It was nearly 4:30 in the afternoon; Blair was starting to relax when she heard something that made her panic. "HEY BLAIR!"

In an instant Blair's nerves were shot, and quickly she rose upwards and turned to see Axel running towards her. She waved at him to stop yelling; Axel was confused till he saw Brett sleeping and clued in. Axel stopped making noise and came up to Blair and apologized through whispers. "Sorry Blair, but is it really that big of a deal?"

Axel asked and Blair grabbed his ear; she pulled him down and whispered with an angry tone. "Stop yelling; I finally got him asleep. He has not slept since everything that happened yesterday, and he really, really needs this rest." Axel was quick to apologize; he had no clue, but now he knew why it was so important.

The two went back and sat beside Brett while a gentle breeze blew over the lake. It was slightly cold and Blair was worried about Brett catching a cold, but if he could fall asleep out here then that was what really was important. Rest would help Brett gain his strength back and ease his mind from all the stress. Blair's hand gently traversed through Brett's hair; she stared at him with a slight smile admiring him for everything he had done. Brett was sound asleep, and the sun continually shined down making it a warm perfect day with nothing troubling it.

"You know… Brett had me really worried yesterday. For a second I thought he might leave me, but he chose to stay with me… I cannot believe I still doubt him sometimes, guess I still have a lot to learn huh?" Axel leaned backwards and let gravity carry him to the ground; "you know Blair… I do not think that you have to worry about Brett leaving you. You both make each other very happy when you are together… now if only we could get things to be peaceful for a while. I'm sure Brett could use some peace; the poor guy disserves it…"

The expression across Blair's face changed rapidly to a large smile. "I'm going to take great care of him, I will show him how glad I am to have him back. I'll cook and do what ever it takes for him to be fully healed… and I'm sure he never had to lift a finger. Then he will be all better and we can live the perfect life together." Axel laughed and turned his head so he was looking to Blair; "I thought you said we were to be quiet. But you are probably what Brett needs right now… once this year is over… he will probably go home with you."

"You really think so…! I cannot believe that I was so lucky to have him as my boyfriend; you know I actually had a small crush on him after I met him… and to think he had the same on me. I was so surprised when I found out, but I just could not let it go to his head that I had a crush on him." The instant she finished; Blair felt something warm on her leg. Her gaze focused on Brett's hand which rested on her bare leg just below the bottom of her shorts. Brett was still asleep, but Blair could not help but get excited and embarrassed.

"That Brett sure is good with the ladies; even if he is with you… to think he was never suppose to exist and yet you two are soul mates. So what are you going to do with him after this duel year?" Blair snapped out of her excitement and took Brett's hand into hers and cupped it with both hands. "Well I was hoping he would come home with me, and then we can live a quieter life. I want the world to know he is mine, and I want to do so many things with him…"

The two conscious duelists had not noticed that five more of their friends had joined them, and were now seated beside them. Alexis, Britney, Jaden, Hasleberry, and Britney had were now all seated on the hill by the lake; Jaden seamed slightly quieter then normal. Britney was already giggling; "so Blair; think Brett is thinking about you in his sleep…? I'm sure when you get him off this island you have lots planned for his future with you right?"

The giggling continued from all the girls except for Blair; whose face was now the same color as her vest. The whispering continued amongst everyone, but the feeling between Blair, Britney, and Hasleberry were awkward at best. The knowledge of feelings in the triangle made it hard to even talk about the simplest of things. Blair still felt bad about forgetting Brett so easily, and knowing that Hasleberry had some level of feelings for her made her uneasy. She had no wish to return those feelings, and she was almost ignoring him to block those thoughts out.

Suddenly Jaden turned his head to Blair; "listen Blair… I talked to the Chancellor and he is not going to hold any of the events against Brett…" Alexis grinned and laughed; "nice of you to say something Jaden… You think Brett will be okay; he seems to be much weaker then he use to, I just don't want him to think that he has to rush his recovery. I can only imagine how much of a tough time he has dealing with everything."

Everyone was quick to agree; Blair looked down on him with a possessive stare. No one was going to take him from her no matter who they were; "I will protect him no matter what… Brett…" Brett moaned in his sleep almost as if he appreciated her words, and slowly Brett started to curl up into a ball, and Britney could not resist commenting. "Oh how cute…! Even in his sleep he absolutely adorable; I cannot believe just how many enemies he has."

A full hour passed; Blair said little else to the group because she was just content to sit there with Brett. Her hands continued to gently caress and move through his hair; she thought about how shaggy he was getting, and wondered if he would get it cut for her. Thoughts continued through her mind about what she was going to do after this year. The thoughts about the uncertain future till the sky erupted with a loud explosion.

Instantly Brett woke and jumped to his feet and Blair rose with him trying to get him to stop. He got to a standing position just when his weakness caught up with him. His legs trembled and gave way in time for Blair to catch him. "I got you… You should not push yourself because you still need sleep and rest alright?" Brett turned to look at Blair with a smile; "sorry Blair… I guess I'm no where near ready yet to be any help."

Never before had Brett shown any weakness to her, but to her this was a welcome change. His eyes were having trouble staying awake; his bloodshot eyes pained him for every second they were open, and that is when Axel jumped up and got in front of the couple. "You two just take it easy… I can handle what ever comes this way; just take care of Brett."

Axel finished at summoned his chakrams to his hands and got ready. "Thank you Blair for taking care of me…" Blair turned and smiled, but quickly turned her attention to the fiery objects that had now pierced the atmosphere. The meteors emitted a green glow from their fiery exterior, and soon they cooled while descending. The green aura faded, and soon Brett noticed what exactly they looked like.

The two objects slowed while approaching the earth, and soon they stopped and hovered high above Duel Academy. One had an orange shield and both had primarily white and black armor, but one had an orange scheme that made it far more predominate. They focused in on Brett and Blair before continuing their decent, and soon they touched down. The green glow dissipated, but small green dots came from behind the two making the machines more supernatural then could be believed.

One had orange armor pieces, and the other had blue; both were completely unique, and Brett already knew what they were. "Gundams, but how…?" Brett's focused eyes could just not believe that he was indeed seeing what was their; neither of the two new machines had any thrusters, and they were human size. It then snapped that these two were actually not machines, and Brett was becoming very nervous since his tech form was no where near this advanced.

The two mysterious beings started to walk forwards towards the group; Axel readied his weapons even though they were well over ten meters away. The metal armor melted away into two cloaked individuals into human forms, but they were shielded by white cloaks before Brett could see who they were, and each cloak had light blue lines with no pattern in mind. The two continued forward and nothing could be seen about who they were for the most part, but Brett already knew what these two were. The only thing that was truly troublesome was if they were friend or foe.

The cloaks did not obscure their faces; one was female and had a pair of violet eyes. Her expression showed no signs that she was friendly, but then when her eyes met with Brett's she immediately started to smile. The other had a young man's face; his brown eyes and expression looking like he was starring at a superior when he gazed at Brett. Axel was ready to attack at a moments notice; suddenly the girl started to cry and she ran forward towards the group with no more then a happy though guiding her.

Confusion gripped Axel; he was so unsure of why this girl was smiling and crying, but he could not take the chance. Axel snapped from the confusion and gritted his teeth; no one would get by him, and the female was showing no signs of stopping. The young man started to shake his head in disbelief; the young girl leapt at Axel, and her eyes were not even focused. Axel yelled and used his weapons at this girl with no more patience for the situation but sliced through empty air.

Chakrams sliced through the empty air; causing Axel to blink in disbelief. Axel heard Blair scream before a loud crashing sound; he turned to see the girl behind him with Brett knocked to the ground in her arms. Brett had been knocked out of Blair's arms, and even more surprising the girl was completely unharmed. Her hood had fallen off her head revealing her blue hair that flowed down to her deck and was fairly stylish.

"Get off my boyfriend…!" Blair's voice was full of rage that this young female had her Exia under this new girl. Jaden and the others stood nearby; Alexis looked down on the confusing situation and wondered who they were. The short blue haired girl continued to cry and started to shout into Brett's chest; "Oh…! I just cannot believe you are alive again! I have missed you so much, and it is so, so amazing to see you…!"

No matter how much anyone demanded an explanation, but this new girl continued to exclaim her happiness for Brett being alive. Everyone one was confused, but then the mysterious male's voice could be heard coming from behind them. "That is great Alexia… I thought we agreed that we were not going to do this till later. We agreed on a more dignified entrance…"

Suddenly Alexia stopped and got up off the ground; she helped Brett up and back to his feet with no trouble. The girl then turned and hugged Blair; much to Blair's surprise who was caught off guard. Alexia started to tell Blair how happy she was to see her again like they knew Blair so well, but Blair was speechless. Brett stood there barely able to stand, but waiting for answers. He was sure he had figured out the answer, but was still unsure jus t enough so he would not dare venture a guess.

Axel turned away from Blair to see the young mysterious man was nearly upon him. "Stop right there and tell me who the hell you two are right now before I really get angry!" Axel finished shouting in time for the young man to raise his hand to Axel. The Fiery attitude yelled at the unknown enemy; Axel readied his weapon, but then suddenly stopped in mid attack.

Seconds passed before Brett decided to inquire about what had transpired; "how did you do that?" The young man walked over behind Axel till he was a few feet away from Brett. "Well you see I have power over time; and my sister over there has the power to manipulate space. Basically she can create wormholes with her power… and I think you already know what we are. Now Alexia… please restrain your self around you know who; we are trying not to overwhelm them like we already discussed."

Almost instantly Alexia stopped talking; she was now very aggravated with her brother. "Judai… I cannot help that I'm excited to see them; did you forget how they died in front of us. So you know what…? You should just stop trying to act so cool for dad; you are always trying to impress… him…" Alexia just realized what she had said, and her heart skipped a beat.

Not a word was spoken after that; everyone had frozen still with shock from the implication. Judai and Alexia were terrified of how their parents would react to the news. Blair face was trembling; her mind was split into two trains of thought; while she was so nervous about how well Brett would take the news. For one thing she was also so happy of what this news meant; it meant that their relationship was going to last till she would finally be able to marry him, and that was a dream come true. The thought of her having Brett's children was a little overwhelming, but still it was exciting to have a guaranteed future with him.

Judai ran over and was furious with his sister; "Alexia you idiot…! This is what we were trying to prevent, and now they are going to be worried. I'm so sorry for her mom and dad…" Blair turned to Brett; slowly Judai removed his hood so that Brett could see the same color and hairstyle as him. There was no doubt in Brett's mind that these were his and Blair's kids; the thoughts over whelmed him, and then all the stress made him pass out and fall to the earth and hit his head and lost consciousness.

Slowly Brett came to; Blair was lying right beside him; she immediately turned her attention to Brett waking up. "Brett you are awake…! We brought you back to my room after you hit your head on the ground, but you are okay. How do you feel…?" Brett tried to move, but he was still so weak and tired, but Blair eased him back into a lying down position. "My head still hurts pretty badly; thanks for taking care of me Blair… it wasn't a dream… it really did happen right?"

A nod was all Blair could give Brett at first but soon she realized she had to speak; "could you tell what they were?" Brett paused for a moment considering how he should react; "not at first, but then it became clear that they were Exia. There is no mistaking it though; Judai looks like me, and has your gorgeous eyes. Alexia has your hair color, and I have no clue where she got it, but it is probably somehow from me with her purple eyes. They are our kids, and they are both are fully developed Exia, and I'm not sure how to feel about this…"

Blair knew that Brett wanted to be alone since he usually would like peace to think. "I'll leave you alone so you can think about us…" Blair started to get up; her mind was saddened; she thought that she was right for Brett, but she would honor what he chose to do. Brett's hand grabbed Blair's bare arm and pulled her back towards him. "Blair that is not what I meant…"

"I'm not sure about our kids and what happens to cause the need for this Blair… but I'm sure about us. I use to think that because originally that I never existed; that I was not right for you. I have always loved you for who you are; your attitude, your hair, your eyes… you are so beautiful to me, but I was never originally suppose to exist… I always thought that I never earned the right to mess up your fate or your destiny because no one should mess with you Blair."

"Blair I love everything about you, and I only want you to have the best that you ever could. I still cannot believe Jaden felt nothing for you, but the fact that we stayed together is a happy thought that makes me think I'm right for you. I'm so happy that I will get to experience so much at your side… that is if you will have me there…" Blair immediately smacked his stomach with just enough force for Brett to know what he had said; "Of course you are going to be there."

Gentle knocking came to the door before the door creaked open; Blair invited who ever was out there inside, but she was saddened since this had interrupted her moment with Brett. In came Britney, Alexis, Alexia, Judai, Jaden, and Hasleberry who all sat in different positions around the room. Brett and Blair sat up; he looked at her wondering if it was ok to ask, and Blair nodded to him. "I think it is time you told us about why you are here?"

Their children looked to one another; trying to figure out who should be the one to speak, but Alexia had something else to ask first. "So does that mean that you believe that we are your kids…?" Brett and Blair nodded in unison; they both sat on the bed together, and Blair started to rest her head on Brett's shoulder just the way she had become comfortable with. Judai stood up to address the group believing that he could do a better job then his sister; "well I think it would be best if I told you why we came back through time..."

"Alexia and I have come back to change what has happened in the future…" Alexia watched her future mother and father together, and she suddenly felt the urge to speak up. "But first it would be good if you knew your kids… Just so you know we are twins… and I'm Alexia the cute one. This is my brother… and I guess your son Judai. Don't mind Judai; he really does have a personality, but he is always trying to put on this big act to impress dad."

Blood was starting to boil in Judai's veins over his sister's comment about him, and the urge to play dirty was now all he could think of. "Alexia shut up… Besides you are daddies little princess who can do no wrong… so do not try and rub my face in the dirt." The tongue of Alexia stuck out at her brother displaying her discontent even when she tried to talk with her tongue out. "You shut up Judai… just because dad and mom loved me the most does not mean you are completely worthless! Your sword skills never impressed dad anyways… so the only person you should be mad at is yourself!"

The two were ready to start attacking each other till Brett spoke up, and the fighting stopped between his future siblings. Judai regained his composure before continuing while his sister pouted in the corner. "We are both fifteen years old, and we had an amazing time growing up with both of you as our parents. You see in the future we know all about the Exia and their abilities, and have found a peaceful place to live."

"When an Exia is born; they gain abilities for each of their forms, but the interesting thing is that each generation of Exia is more advanced. Since both you and mom were Exia; we are considered the first real born pure Exia naturally. Our powers range over time and space… and we have a great understanding of our own respective powers. You however in the future are the only Exia to ever know the true extent of you powers, but we are limited as to what we can tell you."

"My powers make me immune to any changes in the time stream, but Alexia is was not immune. Recently I found out how to make someone immune, and that is how Alexia is now protected from any changes. We both can change the future and not worry about any effects on us." Blair was starting to wonder if her children even loved her, but Brett had a question; "how many Exia are there from the time you come from."

"Well dad… oh sorry Judai did you want to tell this part…?" Judai said nothing in return to his sister, and the young girl flipped her short hair around with a twist of her head trying to act even cuter for her friends. "Guess he is still mad at me… but sadly the time we left; Judai and I were the only Exia left alive. Everything else was hunted down and murdered ruthlessly; including you and mom…"

Silence filled the room; hearing about this future and their own deaths caused Blair and Brett to be speechless, and Jaden decided to ask a question. "Who would do such a thing…?" Alexia's mouth was ready to speak till Judai answered first. "We are not sure who was behind the extermination of the Exia… but we know it was done by a single demon. It hunted down the Exia, and none were a match for it… the black night killed almost all the Exia single handily."

The expression across Blair and Brett's face was becoming depressed; they both still were lying down in each others arms, but neither was happy. Blair was starting to think that her children did not even love her, and she was so uneasy about how committed she now was. Brett was still trying to deal with his own issues, but he decided to voice his feelings. "Judai! I want to know right now why I was not able to protect Blair, and enough of this protecting us crap because you don't want me to know!"

The tone of voice stunned Judai beyond belief, but he realized that he really did love Blair. "Well dad… fine I will tell you. When you got married to mom, and decided you two would have kids…" Brett was starting to become impatient and yelled at the top of his lungs at his son; "god damn it! I want to know why the hell I could not protect the most important thing in my life!"

Both of twins had known their father truly loved their mother, but never this much. Blair was embarrassed by the fact that he cared this much for her, and Brett waited impatiently for an answer. "Fine… the reason was because when you and mom decided to have kids; you tore apart your hands so you would never would ever hurt us… You made the choice to never let you power grow, but you were still the most amazing warrior even with your power being so limited. You learned what no Exia ever could, you learned how to seal away all of your forms, that is why."

Brett slowly closed his eyes to try and slow his mind down; so many thoughts were flooding and overwhelming his mind, but Blair was beside herself. "Brett did that for me… but I never would have asked him to do that." Alexia shook her head while standing up; she looked at her mother and immediately protested it being her fault. "It was not you at all mom; dad made the hard choice so no one else would have to later…"

"Dad fought for all of us when the black night finally came… dad fought valiantly and lasted so long, and it crushed Judai. Dad you really fought to your last breath and beyond to keep us and especially mom safe… but that monster claimed both of you. It was at that point in my life just how amazing your love was for one another."

Alexia started to cry and jumped onto her parents laps; Brett and Blair had no choice other then to comfort their child. Blair was still worried about the effect this was having on Brett; Judai waited for a moment before continuing. "It was really hard for us to watch; mom then fought to protect us, but like she said… the hell spawn won. I'm sorry that you had to find out this way, we barely saw it ourselves before mom pushed us into our guardians' possession."

Judai's eyes looked over at Jaden and Alexis who were sitting close to one another, and Alexis looked at Jaden before coming to the obvious conclusion. "Wait a second… you mean you two were named after us, and that we are your guardians?" Alexis looked back at Jaden who was looking at her stunned, but then they both turned back to Judai when he started to speak again. "I'm sorry but I'm just telling you that you are our guardians in the future…"

"Before you told us to go back in time; you made us swear we would not tell you what happens to both of you. Then you shoved us into the shuttle and told us to go prevent this future… and that is the last we saw of both of you as well. The Exia were hunted down and exterminated by one single invincible knight, but that is why we are here!"

Everyone's ears perked and were now listening even more intently then before. "We know were the black knight came from, and I'm going after him! Meanwhile; Alexia will stay here and protect the both of you! We are going to change this future ourselves… but dad, I really want to talk to you about something…"

Sitting there on the bed with Blair and his future daughter still in tears in his lap; Brett already knew what his son wanted to say. "Judai I already know what you wanted to talk to me about, but I have already made up my mind!" No one could believe Brett's tone, and Blair was so worried about this news; she already knew what he was going to do. "Brett…"

"Judai…! Thank you for telling me this, but did I ever come close to hurting any of you?" Judai was quick to shake his head; "absolutely not dad! Never once did you ever lose your cool… not even when I finally beat you in a swordfight." Alexia sat up on the bed and looked straight at her brother with discontent; "what! You never beat dad Judai, stop lying!"

The two continue to squabble amongst them selves, but Blair was still worried about Brett. She turned her head to look directly at Brett's eyes, but suddenly he turned and starred into hers. "I have made up my mind… Blair if it alright with you; I want to become strong enough to protect all of you from this fate." Blair smiled and hugged him; "Brett I want you to teach me how to fight too so that I'm not just on the sidelines any more!"

The request caught Brett off guard; Blair looked so intent on her goal to learn how to fight, but Brett was hesitant. "Come on Brett please… you are the best swordsman by far!" Brett rubbed the back of his head, and Blair's face kept inching closer and closer waiting for an answer. "Blair… I'm really not that good…" Brett was embarrassed, but Blair knew she was right; "excuse me but you fought 2 for me in the other dimension… I was watching every move and you are the only person I would let teach me anything!"

With no prompting at all; Alexis decided to aid Blair in her plea. "Well actually Brett if you remember you have done some amazing things for Blair… like the duel at the cliff were you saved both of us, and the desert was pretty impressive to. I would not mind joining a class you were going to be teaching, it would be fun to learn how to sword fight."

Never had Brett chose to divulge the story of a desert battle with him, but Judai would not miss this chance. "I would like to train with you again father…" Alexia laughed at her brother; "why…? So you can 'beat' him again… but I would like to show dad my moves too."

The twins were pretty anxious sounding, and both were excited to have a young version of their parents at their sides. Both could not resist challenging a young version of their father; no matter what it would be interesting to challenge him. Soon though Hasleberry offered to join along with Axel in and even Britney who was going to enjoy being taught by Brett who had been her former obsession.

To all of them; Brett was the best swordsmen they would ever meet. Brett wondered if he could live up to this rep, but he could not refuse Blair, and soon he agreed. The group was excited about this event that would take place tomorrow. Jaden rose up and opted out before leaving; he was feeling rather depressed for his own reasons, and he continually felt more and more isolated from his friends. Alexis tried to stop him, but Jaden ignored her, and Alexis was very concerned with Jaden's state of mind.

Britney glanced over to see how late it was; she figured that Blair and Brett needed to be alone to digest the situation, and she knew how to get everyone out. A large stretch and a playful yawn drew everyone's attention to Britney hint to leave. "Well it is getting late and Brett has been needs sleep. Blair you make sure he gets lots of sleep; other wise he will not be much of a challenge tomorrow…"

With a single wink to Blair; Britney started clearing the room of everyone; Judai was protesting, but Britney was not letting him stay. Britney shut the door behind her and bowed her head to everyone in an apologetic fashion. "I'm sorry everyone for doing that, but Brett needs time so his mind is not to overwhelm him more then he is already. He needs time right now since this was another huge shock to his system, but Blair will be good enough to help him. Right now he just needs to take it easy, still I cannot believe she is already a mom."

This did not add up, at least not to Judai since something was different about this timeline. His father had told him a lot, but he had never heard a single mention about an epic desert battle, and neither did his mother. This was strange as to why this event was happening without his knowledge, and it was clear that something else was wrong. "Umm… Britney was it…? Could you tell me all about what has happened so far?"

The young pop star was anticipating such a request; she gladly agreed to recount the tales leading to this point in time. Britney led the group to her room; secretly though it was the perfect chance to spend some time with Hasleberry too. Britney marveled at her own genius, and continued to lead the group to her room. Judai was also anticipating this; if something had already skewed the time line; then he had to figure it out soon.

Blair and Brett sat together on the bed; Blair had one hand behind Brett's back and one hand on Brett's chest. Blair was so worried about him, and she had to ask him something that was bugging her about everything they had learned. "Brett… do you think Judai and Alexia loved me half as much as they do you…" Brett looked down into her eyes and saw she was looking for help and he happily nodded. "Of course they do Blair. They probably love you more, but maybe I never showed them enough so they are trying to impress me now…"

"No Brett… you remember our first date and our first kiss a few days ago? It's okay on second thought; I'm sorry I asked you…" Brett slowly inhaled before letting out a long sigh; "Blair I'm so sorry… Ever since I started telling you that I wanted to be with you; I have been a terrible depressing boyfriend. I'm sorry for that Blair; you do disserve better then that…"

Never once had Blair thought Brett was depressing or made her unhappy when he was with her. She always considered him to be a great boyfriend, but she stayed silent to see what he would say next. "Blair I'm going to start being a better boyfriend; I will really try my hardest to be better and do what you want to do. I want you to come and cook with you, and I want to do more with you and really start to strengthen our relationship more."

Blair loved every word, and she was ready to tell him that she loved him, but Brett did not halt his promises. "I want to go on vacation with you, and be your prom date. The thought of us getting married was one f the happiest thoughts ever… I just hope you still want to do all this with me…" Blair was quick to jump up and head for the door; she turned and smiled at him. "I would be really upset if you were not there with me, now get ready for bed because you need your sleep."

Blair left to get ready, and Brett got up and was quick to change into his night time apparel. He starred out the window for a moment, and starred into space. Soon he started to think to himself and get the courage to do what he had to. 'I will not let Blair die, and neither will my kids. Blair I will give you everything you could ever want… I promise."

A minute passed and Blair returned in her bright red pajamas; Blair jumped into bed and Brett soon followed. "Brett; give me you arm…" Blair took Brett's left arm and put it under her neck; then she twisted her body and grabbed his right hand over the top of her. He was nervous to move his hand anywhere, but Blair suddenly placed it on her covered stomach.

"Brett… I want you to know that you have never been depressing to me, but I'm very exited to do all those things with you… so lets get some sleep…" They both soon fell asleep with Blair's back gently pressed into Brett's front. Even Brett was quick to fall asleep, but this time the weight of the world seemed slightly lighter for some reason, and Brett was going to be the best he could be for Blair.


	18. Chapter 15 Why I am This Way

Chapter 15 Why I am This Way

Outside Duel Academy's gate; Blair and Brett sat outside in the sun while talking with one another just having an amazing time as a young couple. There was nothing sinister, just a beautiful day where they got time to spend alone and get to know one another better. He sat there on a rock seat with a slanted back; He was completely relaxed with Blair right beside him, and her head was resting ever so gently on his chest. Brett seamed like his old confident self to Blair, but now he was a lot more open and talkative then normal and Blair loved each second of it.

"Brett… stop saying that I will become prom queen of my school; I'm not pretty enough… I mean my ears are too big, and my hair is not perfect, and too many other things are wrong with me for others to vote me to have such a award." Blair was appearing to be much more self conscious, but Brett figured that must have been every teenage girl in the whole world. "Blair… I love everything about you; you are the prettiest girl in the world to me, and everything about you is perfect. I know you will grow into a lovely young woman, and every other girl will be so jealous of you…"

Gasping came from Blair just to the words that composed the sweet sentiment; his words left her speechless, and she was holding back the urge to kiss him. "Blair, I'm pretty excited about the tournament you are planning. I just hope we end up on the same team…" Blair giggled at the hint but she figured he knew better; "oh Brett you are so sweet… but don't worry, we will end up on the same team no matter what, and then we will win together!"

They both nodded in the joyous sentiment of fighting together side by side; suddenly Brett sneezed, and Blair tilted her head up to look at him. "Oh no… Are you catching a cold… it's my fault because I brought you out to the lake yesterday. Now I just get to take care of you right, I can cook for you and heal you right back to normal too." Brett nodded causing Blair to let another smile slip out from his relaxed calm face. "I'm just glad I get to spend time with you, next year will be fun with you since I graduate this year."

"That's great… but… what about the end of this year? What are you going to do…?" Brett paused to consider her question, but really was just playing with her. "Well… I guess if you are not tired of me by then, 'maybe' I could come with you and enroll in your school or something if I can. Guess it depends if you are ok having me with you most of the time?"

Quickly Blair got up and light grazed his chest with her hand in an attempt to smack him. She then went back to her original position resting on his chest with a hint of a pout across her face, and then started to speak in a playful tone. "You better not be tired of me; because that is just insulting to a young lady." Blair paused before she started to uncontrollably giggle; "I can't wait to show you off to all the other girls… they will be so jealous that I have you!"

"You know Blair… when it comes down to it… you do not have to worry about Judai and Alexia. They really do love you, and I know you will be great mother; we do not have to rust at all when it comes to our kids…" Blair nodded into Brett's chest; she knew there was no rush, and she knew her kids really did love her but just maybe it was more of Brett but that was alright to her. Suddenly she wondered why she was worried; it was still too early, and with that her mind was only concerned with spending time with Brett the person she had come to adore.

"Brett it is such a beautiful day to be out here with you; the sun is just so warm, and I love doing this… It's hard to think how many of our friends will be leaving. Even Jaden is going, but if I'm with you I will be fine, so don't worry about me." A clearly visible smile was across Brett's face, and Blair knew it was for her. "You know after all we have been through… we should go on a vacation together…"

A cloud blocked the sun from shinning down upon them, and Brett closed his eyes. "So where do you want to go…?" The question was left entirely up to Blair, and she was so excited to answer. He had basically given her permission to go anywhere she wanted to go, and she was still having trouble believing that it was her choice to make. "You really mean I get to pick…! Then I want to go to the most romantic place in the whole world… France!"

Immediately Blair turned to gauge Brett's reaction, but Brett only opened his mouth speaking a few short words. "France it is then…" Blair was immediately giggling, and Brett looked at her wondering what he had done, and she was only to happy to answer. "You know… you do not have to act cool for me! I already like you…"

A small laugh could be heard from Brett, and Blair went back to laying on his chest. "Blair I really want you to know how much I love you for the way you are… I don't want you to change anything about you no matter who says what about you. I…" but before Brett could finish; he found himself interrupted by Blair giggling loudly. "Don't worry Brett; your opinion is what really matters to me, and I suppose if you like my style that much… I would stay the same for you since you like it that much."

Blair looked up to see Brett smiling up at the sky; she wondered what he could possibly be thinking about. "Brett; what are you smiling about…?"

Brett looked down at her and continued to smile; "well I was just am thinking about how lucky I am to have you as my girlfriend. But more importantly how lucky I am to have a real future with you; the news that we get married made me so happy. It is something that I really would like to happen some day."

The sun came out from behind the cloud, and started to warm the young couple; Blair sat lay beside him and started pressing a single finger into his chest with a gentle force making small circles. "I'm excited about that thought to…! To think I will get to married to someone so incredible and different… and exactly what I dreamed of."

A single gasp could be heard from Brett, and Blair shot up thinking something was wrong. She quickly questioned, and Brett answered right away; "I thought you were suppose to end up marrying me?" Blair hit Brett's chest with just enough force to make it slightly painful, but truthfully she liked Brett like this. "My you are in a good mood today; not like you were a bad boyfriend before, but this is nice to see you this happy and not beating yourself up for something."

A gentle breeze blew Blair's bangs a little, and she dropped back down to Brett's rather comfortable quest. Blair playfully started to tease Brett with a rather endearing tone; "I hope you are not this playful when you teach me to play tennis, or when you teach me sword fighting today…"

"You think I will ever get powers like you Brett?" Blair rolled over to Brett's side and looked at his now closed eyes. "Blair I cannot say what will happen to you; all I know that you are probably going to live so long as we are bonded together…. I would like to spend as much time as possible with you; no matter what you are the most important thing to me. You make continuing on not so hard when the day starts or ends…"

Another gust of wind blew through, and drew Blair's eyes up to Brett's hair. She lifted her arm and started to run her hand through his soft brown hair, and soon she found herself playing with his bangs. She started to giggle and Brett opened his eyes to see her hand playing with his hair. "You have such soft hair Brett, but it is getting so long we will have to get it cut… you think I could pick your style?"

Brett nodded to Blair, and then suddenly she sat upwards suddenly; she put her hands together and turned back to him with a huge smile. "I know the perfect haircut for you! And then I can take you shopping for some new clothes and you will be so handsome and I will show you how to be the best looking guy ever!" Blair was completely testing to see what Brett would say, but then suddenly he spoke up and surprised her. "I really look forward to going shopping with you; you will probably make me look good for once."

Smiles were across both their faces, and this time was strengthening their bond so much. Blair's mind drifted to her own wardrobe, and she had never got an answer about this subject. "Brett should I continue to wear this red outfit, or do you want me to wear the obelisk uniform?" Brett waited no time, and he knew she was fishing for an answer; "Blair you know that I like no matter what you wear, and you look good in anything. But… If I had to answer I would say the red uniform because it makes you an original, and it looks good with your blue hair!"

The answer Brett had provided was sounded so sincere and was so sweet Blair could only giggle before responding to her boyfriend. "Brett that was just the sweetest and best answer you could have given me; you are just the most amazing boyfriend ever! I think you earned this…"

With no time wasted; Blair kissed Brett once on the cheek before moving up in front of his face. "I think you earned a little more; I cannot believe you keep finding ways to be a better boyfriend!" Blair then planted a long and satisfying kiss, and then Brett opened his mouth causing Blair to do the same. For an instant she felt his tongue enter her mouth and touch her tongue.

Instantly she backed off much to her displeasure; she was furiously blushing about the surprise that had pleasantly taken her off guard. "Brett that was… amazing! Think you could do that on our next date…?" Brett nodded to her causing Blair to get over excited; "but only on one condition Blair…" Blair would do anything; that feeling of Brett's tongue entering her mouth had aroused her quite a bit, but she would do anything he asked.

"I want us to go cooking on our next date, and I want you to teach me and cook for me. I have really wanted to try your cooking for a while!" Blair suddenly jumped forward from her kneeling position and pulled Brett into a hug he could not escape. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and the force made it slightly hard for the young man to breath. "Glad to see you are happy."

Quickly she realized that she was cutting off Brett's air supply by the choppy voice and let him go. Then another thought came into her mind of how she could repay Brett. "I know…! I want to buy a fancy dress so you can take me dancing, and we can have he most romantic night in the history of love!" Her eyes were gleaming with light and excitement that he could just not refuse for a single moment. "I would love to take you dancing when ever you want, and you will have the best dress you want no matter what."

Again Blair found herself overwhelmed with happy thoughts, and there was no way anything would ruin today. Her future was a shinning beacon to her so long as Brett would be at her side. "Brett… would you help me organize the tournament?" Brett immediately nodded and Blair smiled at him before lying back down at his side. All her thoughts focused in on Brett being her perfect boyfriend, and she was so glad she spied on him that one night.

"You know, I still do not know what you like. Like what is your favorite kind of music, or your favorite kind of movies, or do you read books?" Brett was a little surprised to hear this question even if it made sense, but he was all to glad to answer. "Well I like every kind of music; except for rap, country, and anything strange like polka. My favorite kinds are rock and classical; I really like sci-fi movies, but anything is pretty good. And I just read to learn; I don't get the whole for enjoyment thing…"

Blair had quickly learned and took everything he had said, and this was her chance to try and impress him. "I like pop, rock, and especially classical music… umm… I absolutely love romance movies and especially comedies, but sci-fi movies are so cool. And well… I'm emberassed to say I don't read; I know I'm so dumb not to read…"

"Blair…" Blair froze and looked into his eyes, and Brett once again knew how to make it right. "Blair; you do not have to impress me; I'm not going to leave you because you like different stuff… I do listen to pop music sometimes if I find something that is okay. If you like romance and comedies; well the truth is I like those too. If you do not read that is just who you are, and I told you I do not want you to change who you are for me. I think it is kind of better that you and I like some different things because we can show each other new stuff."

And again Blair fell in love with the words that had been uttered; to her it was the perfect thing to say to her. She drew closer and closer till she found her self kissing Brett on the lips; it was a small peck this time; she wanted to say the special kiss for their second date. "I know Brett, but I really want to take an interest in what you like to. Of course you will still end up doing things I like too…"

"Blair I cannot wait to do all those things with you…" Blair smiled and laughed; "well we both duel already and you are and amazing duelist. You know I got into dueling so I could meet a few certain famous duelists and win their hearts…" Blair finished with a smile and a wink at Brett causing him to blush. "I guess you have guessed who I'm talking about!"

"Really Blair; I'm glad you became a duelist, but I'm only half as good as you…" Blair started to blush, but then turned her head and started to speak in a coy voice. "Oh Brett you are too sweet… but I'm not that good of a duelist. I only got interested to be by certain people; maybe you could get me interested in it again…"

Another wink made Brett smile this time, and he was excited about the thought of dueling with her. Blair then started to smile and started to blush before she began to speak; "Brett… I have to tell you that when I had a crush on Zane… I also had a huge crush on you. I watched you and I actually had a scrap book with pictures of you… when Jaden came along I guess I forgot about you…but now I'm so glad I get to be with my hero and my biggest crush. I only have eyes for you…"

A gentle hand started grazing Brett's arm; Brett was smiling, but then Blair's arm traveled upwards, and she gasped when her hand met with a weird skin patch. She gasped and moved Brett's shirt up so she could see a huge scar across Brett's bicep. Brett immediately pulled away when he felt Blair's smooth fingers touch his scar. Blair could not figure when he would have received such a wound, but she felt her curiosity bubbling.

"Brett… when did you get that; it was not because of me was it…?" Blair's voice sounded so sad and distraught that Brett had to ease Blair's mind. "No Blair… it was not you that caused me to get this. I really had hoped this would never come up again…" Blair approached his opposite side to the one she had been on; she felt his upper arm to fin a scar on his other bicep, and her concern was peaking.

"Brett why do you have these; there are scars across both your arms in the same spot on each one. What happened…?" Brett's expression was an extremely sad one; he did not want her to worry, but if he did not tell her then she would never know. It was a crossroads where he could take either path, with his head dropped down In a shameful possession; he did not want to keep any secrets from her. "Blair… if this story gets to gross just let me know and I will stop telling you it."

Blair sat down right beside him and she was nervous; she grabbed Brett's hand and squeezed it tightly just trying to lend her strength. At this moment she had to listen to him and help him, but she was afraid this was more serious then she could have imagined. Her smile was making it slightly easier, but these painful memories started flooding back. "One day my father had sent me to a tournament, and I had beaten all of my opponents; I was just waiting to go home. My bodyguards left me to go to the bathroom in private because I asked them to, but on my way I was grabbed by a someone, and that is when my nightmare began. That day I became a hostage, and was kidnapped for ransom."

Blair gasped, it became instantly and nearly impossible to not stop this but she stayed silent out of the deepest curiosity. "I was kidnapped because I was Maximillion Pegasus's son. All the kidnapers cared about was the money, and their demands were an insane amount of money. I was blindfolded and drugged, and taken to a dark place where it did not matter if I screamed or anything. I woke up in a concrete room that had nothing to sleep on, and that cold damp room became my own personal hell. My first night I was not fed; and sleeping in that near freezing water was almost impossible. That morning after getting no sleep; my captors came in, and they all had masks, and I was so tired. They told me they were going to enjoy this and that no one would have mercy on me…"

"They beat me and humiliated me after those comments, and it was the worst experience that I could have ever imaged times a hundred. I was forced to sleep in that same water where I was earlier humiliated, and dying of thirst, and… I just had no choice. By the second morning I was sick, and no matter how bad that first day was the second was so much worse. I was tied up by my arms so I was always forced to stand. My clothes were torn, and those bastards were only about to make it worse!"

Brett's raised voice and him swearing were clear indications he was having a hard time, but for some reason he continued on even with Blair weakly telling him to stop. "Every few hours depending on how I was doing they would cut me. I always turned away before they cut me, but it was never anywhere normal. They would cut into my muscles; every time was deeper and felt a thousand times worse. Then I was left to bleed by myself, and like a fool I believed my father would come to rescue me…"

This had to stop, and Blair tried to stop again him but he just continued to speak mindlessly trapped by the putrid memories. "It got so bad; I could no longer even lift my arms, or stand. I hung lifelessly… the only promise I could count on was that each day the torture got worse. The pain was beyond belief and it nearly made me lose my mind. My arms were torn apart, and I lost a lot of blood, and by day five I had given up on anyone saving me."

Blair started to beg her boyfriend to stop a little louder, but the flood of memories was unstoppable at this point, and he had to let it out. "A full week passed, or at least that is what they told me… I was almost lifeless, but no matter what I tried; they kept hurting me. The last night I was thrown into my watery cell, and the water hurt my cuts so badly. Each meal was bland, and I was always kept starving, and they ran me down anytime they felt like it."

Brett's body was starting to shiver, and Blair was so worried about his mental state. "After that night; I had completely given up; I started to just wish for death… I just wanted to die, and I would have if I could have moved. They had torn my muscles apart, and every nerve they hit was more pain then anything I had ever felt! The last thing they did was tie me up, and beat me before they left me in a park to die. My throat was bone dry, and it felt like my stomach was eating itself, and I was begging for it to end… I had given up on my own life!"

Immediately Brett turned and pressed his head into Blair's chest between her breasts. Brett was balling his eyes out an instant later, and had wrapped his arms fully around Blair. Blair was so mad for demanding why Brett had those scars, and now she was wishing she had never found them. Brett was crying more then he had ever done, and Blair lifted the free portion of her arms to hug Brett as best she could.

"Brett I'm so sorry I brought this up…It is all my fault just please forget it." Blair was so sad, but Brett's voice could be heard from below her. "No it isn't; you are the only thing in my life that makes me feel good, and makes up for that hell! It is all my fathers fault! That is why I hate him; because he would not save me till his conscience caught up with him. I hate him for what he did…!"

"Afterwards he paid to get surgery to heal me, and I was in a hospital for over a full month. He covered the whole thing up, and he paid for therapy but it… he left me to die in that place. I hate him so much, and that is why I hate that bastard! I GOD DAMN HATE HIM!"

Brett was so distraught that Blair could not even imagine what she could do. He did not stop crying, and all she could was hold him. Then she came up with the only idea that would help Brett. "Brett; show me your scars…" Brett stopped crying and looked up at her with his tear soaked face all confused. He lifted his sleeves, and Blair ran her hand down them and she concentrated hard on her wish that she desired in her heart.

Light coated Brett's arms, and Blair's power healed his scars. Slowly Brett started too smile nervously, and he jolted forward and hugged Blair with a good amount of his strength. "Blair… I love you…!" Brett could barely finish his sentence, but Blair was happy she had helped, and to see him smiling was worth it. She could only hope she had not hurt him to much, but she was going to stay at his side and help him past it.

"My god Blair; have you no self respect…?" Blair heard the loud voice and recognized it almost immediately; she turned to see the same Obelisk Blue student who had harassed Brett in the other dimension. Blair knew this was the worst possible time, but he had many other guys with him, and all had a menacing look about their faces. This was going to be a problem, they looked like they were here only to make things worse.

"To think you are with that freak… if you beg you could have a real guy, and I might let you be my girlfriend. Then I can use you to trade up, that is about all you are good for anyways." Blair quickly stood up; she was absolutely furious, since this was the worst time for this to happen. "Don't you dare say another word about Brett… just leave him alone…this is not a good time and I'm asking you to please leave."

"Oh Blair; look how much you have fallen… I mean just leave him; he even turned you into a freak. You probably just with him because of his money; look he is even crying… maybe he ran out cash so Blair was about to dump him." This young duelists words were only trying to make things worse, but he had a tremendous feeling of hate towards Brett. Brett was still not in the right mind to do anything, and he tried to ignore the words, but his friends kept agreeing and supporting him, and Blair was fed up.

"No sorry Blair… my offer passed… I do not want some short, flat chested, gold digger as my girlfriend. My new question is how did someone so ugly get to be class rep? Must have stuffed the ballot box just like her training bra!" They all laughed at the leader of the groups joke, but Brett suddenly forgot about everything and rose to his feet.

"Shut up… You are horrible bastards, and Blair is beautiful, and the whole school knows it except for you guys." Brett stopped in front of Blair in defensive position; he was ready to fight if need be. Nothing would hurt her; Blair stood behind him; she was so amazed at the strength he was displaying even after what she had made him remember.

"Look boys…! Freak love is that strong; I cannot believe that he ruined you Blair, not like there was ever much to ruin!" Blair heard the comment and peaked out from behind Brett; she was itching to insult these guys back. "You are all horrible; I cannot believe you keep harassing us. I just want to have a good time with my boyfriend!"

"Is that so…" the leader bobbed his head and walked around till he could see Blair fairly well. He kept his left hand hidden; waiting till he had the perfect shot, and then he suddenly spoke up and whipped his left hand around. "So you are an ugly freak slut instead…!"

Blair shut her eyes tightly and screamed as the thrown rock flew at her, but nothing hit her. She opened her eyes to see Brett had moved into its path, and was in turn hit in the stomach. "All of you should be expelled for what you have done; I cannot believe you said those things and tried to hurt a young girl. You should all stop being so imatur…"

Before Brett could finish another rock pelted him in the forehead; leaving a cut on his face. Blood rolled down his face, and he dropped to his knees. Blair hugged him from behind and asked if he was ok; unaware he was bleeding from the rocks impact. "Finally a clear shot!"

Blair could not react fast enough, and the next rock thrown just missed her head. She screamed as she felt it skim her head; Brett immediately turned and shielded Blair. All the students began firing rocks at Brett's back, and each on hit him with enough force to let him know they were trying to injure him. More rocks were thrown in succession, and one hit the back of Brett's head causing him to scream.

"What do all of you think you are doing…?" With the new female voice's appearance the rock shower stopped, and Brett knew who it was. "Oh no…! It's Alexis…!" shouted one of the students who had tried to injure Brett, and then the leader spoke up. "Come on Alexis; surely you can look the other way; after all I'm a blue student just like you, and these two are pathetic excuses for people. They aren't real duelists anyways, and I'm tired of him getting praise even when he causes so many problems."

"You make me sick Chad; you try to ruin there nice afternoon together, and then you act like I'm not going to bust you for this. I know who you all are, and this is the last time I'm dealing with you. You are all going to be expelled, and if you threaten me or come after Blair or Brett again I will make sure you pay for it!"

There was no mistaking the anger in Alexis's voice, and Chad knew that if he did anything to Alexis then he was dead. He grit his teeth fiercely, but knew he could do nothing; he was done, and he turned and left. Alexis whipped out her PDA and typed a message of the situation and what had happened to the Chancellor. Alexis would make sure they would pay for this grave mistake.

Blair shook in Brett's arms; she was afraid for Brett's safety more then her own. "Blair are you ok? They are gone now…" Blair heard Brett's and she got out of her crouched position to answer. She shook her head; the only rock that came close had skimmed her but not hurt her at all.

A drop of blood fell to the ground Blair was looking at; she looked up to see blood running down her boyfriends distraught face. "Brett you are hurt; you should not have done that for me; you are injured now because you protected me… I can't believe you protected me after all that." Brett looked at her with a smile despite the pain he was experiencing. "Blair… I was just trying to be a good boyfriend, and don't worry about that hostage story; because; it was not true, I made it up."

What Brett said did not fool Blair for a second, but she could not figure out why he was lying. She wanted to call him out and make him deal with it, but then she considered it was not the best time. "Brett, I'm not going to leave you, because I love you, and I just want you to know that you have been so amazing. I have loved every second I have spent with you today."

Alexis ran over to check Brett who had obviously needed her attention more. Alexis grabbed towel she was carrying for use after their sparring session, but started to use it for cleaning the blood of his face.

"Do not worry you two; those guys will be expelled; I promise you. I'm sorry I did not get here sooner… Brett we're you crying?" Alexis handed the towel so Blair could continue cleaning him, and Blair took her time wiping his face clean. Alexis went to his back and lifted his shirt, and she gasped at the number of bruises. "Those… they were really trying to injure you Brett; you have so many that..."

No response was heard to Alexis's comment; Brett was still secretly trying to block out the painful memories of when he was kidnapped. Blair licked her thumb and tried to get all the blood she could off his face, and she was worried about the swelling wound on his forehead. "Alexis we should get Brett to see Fontaine; this cut on his head is pretty bad." Alexis nodded in agreement; she waited for an argument from Brett, but surprisingly nothing came out.

Both of the girls helped Brett back to the infirmary; Chancellor Sheppard was already waiting there for them. While Mrs. Fontaine treated Brett's wounds; the chancellor looked over Brett. When he finished; he turned and started to leave for the exit, but stopped to talk to Blair and Alexis. "Alexis I got your message, and those students named will be expelled immediately. Blair I'm sorry you had to go through that…"

Without another word the Chancellor left the infirmary to go finish the procedures to expel the students. Alexis watched Fontaine treat Brett's facial cut, but she was still unsure if Brett's mind was ok. "Blair why is Brett so quite; normally he would say he does not need to be in the infirmary, but he is deadly silent. Did those guys really say something that was really that bad?"

Blair shook her head; "no Alexis… it is not that. We were having such a nice day together; he was fun and we talked about so many things, but then I…" When Blair stopped in mid sentence; Alexis looked at her wondering what kind of horrible thing had happened. "Did you break up with him, or was it something about what happened yesterday?"

Never before had Alexis seen Brett this emotionless; he sat on the bed not reacting to anything. Fontaine accidentally slipped and pressed into a single bruise, but Brett did not react even in the slightest. Blair got up and ran over and sat beside him; she started to speak hoping that he would show that he was still ok. "Brett…" was all she was able to say though; Alexis joined her on the bed with Brett, and she grabbed Brett's hand trying to help him out.

"I will be okay… I just need to rest for a bit…" Brett finished and Blair then jolted forward and helped him lay down, but Brett was already half to lying down. She moved up so she was sitting by Brett's head; her hand started to brush through Brett's hair. Her soft hand traced across his forehead, and Brett loved how soft it was. Alexis continued to squeeze Brett's hand, but seeing him in this state was heart breaking.

Fontaine had finished treating Brett's wounds to the best of her abilities, but she was wondering what was wrong. "Blair did those students say something to Brett; I have never seen him this either." Mrs. Fontaine could not even find a word to describe the way Brett was, but Blair knew that Brett would not want her to say. "I can't tell you… but it wasn't those duelists that did this to him!"

"Blair it was not your fault…" Brett's voice calmed Blair down, and Alexis spoke up trying to put Brett's mind at ease. "Listen Brett I will tell everyone the training session is canceled if you want me too?" Brett however was quick to respond; "no all I need is an hour; I will be fine, it's just something in my past came up, but Blair is helping me through it. I'm sorry Blair that I ruined today…"

"No Brett…! You did not ruin today; I had such a good time just talking with you, it really was fun. You did not at all ruin today at all." Brett lay there with his eyes open; still showing no signs of emotion, and Fontaine was incredibly worried. "Brett… do you want me to get you anything…" Brett only could shake his head in response; then Mrs. Fontaine placed an ice pack on his back, but she still wanted to know; "Brett would you please like to tell me what is wrong."

Slowly Brett shook his head while starring off into space. Blair just knew that he was not going to share with anyone else, and she almost would have shared if Brett would have wanted to. Blair touched Fontaine's arm to get her attention to stop the questioning herself. "Please you two just leave him alone; it's something personal and he just does not want anyone else to find out okay?"

Seconds after Blair had gone back to gently rubbing Brett's forehead; he could start to feel Mrs. Fontaine's palm on his back. He really appreciated the sentiment, but the memories still haunted him. "Blair…! I just want to forget; I don't want you to think that you are responsible for me remembering all this. You are the thing that makes up for all that bad… so can I please forget."

What Brett said made little sense to Blair, but she knew that now was one of those times he needed her support. "Of course you can forget it Brett… and I will be right here if you need my help…" Brett's hand broke away from Alexis and grabbed Blair's; Alexis could only smile. "Don't worry Brett; you have had a pretty rough year so you just relax."

The comment was thoroughly enjoyed by Brett; he could feel his mind relaxing, but those dark memories still existed in the back of his mind. Alexis and Mrs. Fontaine did not need any more information; they could only imagine how hard it must have been, but Blair knew. She knew that Brett had been terribly abused, and that anyone else would have lost their mind, or even been completely crippled by the horribly agonizing memories.

The only way she could look at him now was that he was beyond a hero now; he had endured it and now was able to live his life. Even though he had remembered all those memories; he still protected her like nothing had happened. Her heart was beating franticly over how great he was, and then she made a vow to herself that she would always be there for him.

All three girls were trying their best to comfort Brett, and Brett was appreciative of all they were doing for him. Slowly he started to forget; he just wanted to go back to the beginning of the day; that time with Blair was the best time he had ever had. "Blair… I really loved all the time I spent with you today… and I really want to do it again." Blair was so concerned, and she felt the urge to put his mind at ease; "don't worry we will… and next time nothing will ruin it."

The hour soon passed; Brett had closed his eyes to rest, but Blair wanted him to stay like this. Every event since he returned continued to lay more stress on his mind, and eventually she knew it was going to catch up with him. "Brett… it's been an hour…" Alexis said; her voice roused Brett up from his sleepy state, and he still looked half asleep.

Slowly he turned to Blair with a smile across his face; "thanks for today Blair. I'm really glad you got to know me, and so long as you are with me; I know I will be fine." Blair grabbed his hand and they both stood up at the same time smiling at the other. "I'm glad to see you are ok; come on let's go… are friends are waiting, and I will take care of you."

Both of them walked forwards out the door hand in hand. Alexis and Mrs. Fontaine watched Brett walk out like nothing had happened; both were completely in awe, and Mrs. Fontaine could not resist. "I knew they would end up being the perfect couple, but honestly I never expected Brett to be this strong. If I had been kidnapped and abused; I don't know if I would be alright, but Brett is still worried about her being happy. I wish I could find a boyfriend that great."

Alexis watch and smiled; "it is hard to deal with something that traumatic. Brett had to deal with that by him self; no matter how many people you talk to about that… it never makes it right. It all comes down to you in the end, but some how not even the memories hurt him when he is around Blair. He just continues to be his heroic self to Blair; I have trouble believing he protected her after he had all those memories hurt him; that is why he is a great boyfriend."

A deep breath came from Mrs. Fontaine; "they are very cute, and are getting along so well. Alexis… when I tried to fix up Brett's body before; I came across those scars. I could not say anything at the time, but they were pretty bad. They were the kind that a masochistic person would inflict, and they were a lot more places then just his arms and legs…" Alexis gasped at the news; "you mean…"

"No Alexis… nothing that bad, but even his abdomen had been cut; and it was pretty bad. I fear that they did not just abuse him physically, but more personal ways. The scar was small, but that makes this so much harder to watch. No one should have to go through that; he should not have had to go through that. I personally don't think I could go through that."

Alexis could feel a tear running down her face, and it was hard for her not cry about this. "Brett… Is he not been through enough, and he is really not that old. I want to hurt the people who did this to him; he could have been so much more messed up by that. I wish o could help him more with this; because dealing with this is not going to be easy. Blair will be good for him but…"

"I know Alexis… Blair can help him with his emotional problems, his memories, and even his physical wounds, but I think Brett may have other problems. Blair is still to young to help him with those, but when she is older; hopefully she can help him with those. Only Brett really knows what happened there, but it would be best if he just forgot them. Blair can help him with that…"

"Well yeah but… what if Brett was abused sexually. I don't want him to have the wrong idea, and even though I know he is with Blair…" Fontaine listened, but she knew why Alexis was concerned. "Alexis; you like him don't you, but more then the other girls at this school. Blair seems totally devoted, but I doubt no matter what happens; Brett will not abuse that trust. I'm sorry Alexis, but Brett is that dedicated to Blair… Blair will always be there to help him…"

A smile came across Alexis's face; "I know that Brett would never do anything like that. I'm glad I got to meet him though; Blair is a lucky girl." Fontaine got up to leave the infirmary, but turned back to Alexis; "yes she is. Don't worry Alexis; you will find someone great too, but I want you to take care of him. Make sure that no one is too hard on him in the sparring thing you are all doing today."

Alexis nodded to Mrs. Fontaine; "I will make sure no one hurts him; so you do not have to worry. I know he is Blair, but I still care about him, and I will not let him get hurt…" Alexis then turned and ran down the hallway till she caught up with Brett and Blair. She stood behind them and placed one hand on Brett's left shoulder, her right hand on Blair's right shoulder, and put her head between them. "Come one Brett; time to show us how good you are."

Together they all headed towards the gym where all their friends were. All three had smiles, but Blair had the largest; her relationship with her boyfriend had flourished. She felt like she finally really got know him, and she would help him heal from his scared past. Blair was fully in love, but know it was time for them to fight…


	19. Chapter 16 Sparring with Rage

Chapter 16 Sparring with Rage

Chapter 16 Sparring with Rage

So many had turned out for the sparring lesson; Axel, Hasleberry, Britney, Judai, Alexia, and Chazz had all turned out for the contest. All were in white judo uniforms, and were eagerly awaiting Brett's arrival. "Remember guys; after what happened to Brett today; we cannot be too hard on him." Britney's words were cause for everyone to agree; they all had heard about the attack on Brett and Blair, and none were going to hurt him.

The doors swung open, and in entered Brett, Blair, and Alexis. The two girls left to go get changed into their uniforms, but Brett was going to fight in his regular clothes. He slipped off his vest, and soon he was loosening up in an effort to get ready. Judai was eagerly anticipating this; his father was a powerful fighter in the future, but this was a chance to fight the young one.

Judai had heard all the stories about his father, and tomorrow he would be leaving on his quest to the Black Knights original world. Now however Judai was sure that something had changed. This was not the past he had heard of, and it was clear that something had already diverted the time line. However he had decided to remain quite; at least until the time when he could figure out how this had happened.

Blair came running over and stopped beside Brett; Brett looked down at her and smiled. "You look good in that Blair…" After all he had been through today; hearing this was surprising, but so sweet that she started to blush. "Brett not in front of everyone… you really think so!" Brett's nod only made her happier; she wanted to show more public affection; even if someone was watching. It only made her happier that he had gotten over it, and now he was back to his sweet self.

Before Blair could react; Brett leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, and her blush got heavier. She then went up on her toes and kissed Brett before running off to the side. Brett watched and looked at all of his friends that showed up to be taught by him, and with one last deep breath; he was ready. "Judai; please come up here… I know you are wanting to show me your skill; so wee will demonstrate some of our moves."

Almost instantly Judai got up and ran forward; happy as a kid at Christmas. Brett tossed his son a wooden sword, and Judai barely caught it; Brett just laughed while watching his son try and catch it. Brett flipped his sword back and forth in his hand; Chazz was getting aggravated with this show. "Come on…! We came here to get trained, so stop showing off for Blair."

An elbow hit Chazz on each side; both Britney and Blair had elbowed him in the side with a fair amount of force. Blair loved watching him show off for her, and Britney was just enjoying this whole show period. Both Judai and Brett stared each other down; the pause caused everyone to hold their breath in anticipation. Brett held out his free hand and waved to Judai, and Judai was about to take the invitation.

Judai was already searching for an opening as he rushed in to attack his father. The only real concern was that he had to beat his dad and prove him self. Too many times he had lost in sparring matches with his father and he always hated that. He just wanted to prove his merit and skill for once, but he had underestimated his young father's skill.

Brett had already picked the weak stance apart mentally, and dodged off to the side of the attack. Judai held his sword back handed in a foolish effort to show off his strength, but it made it easy to poke Judai's side. The poke caused Judai to spin to face his father and back up unsure if it was over. Brett was smiling and held his sword up to show it was not over.

It caused a smile to grow on Judai's face, and he actually lost the will to win. Now he just wanted to spar, and it was clear his dad was interested in a real fight. Judai walked into the next fight with a smile still across his face before lunging at Brett, to which Brett parried the blow. Brett ran the wooden sword down across Judai's blade, but the student changed his sword to be vertical and stopped the quick attack.

Brett used his foot to knock Judai's feet out form under him, and considered it careless of him to have left himself open. He should have remembered that any part of him can and should be used in a fight, and he used his left hand to recover. Quickly he pushed off his left hand and flipped to get back to his feet.

Quickly Judai lunged back in only to have Brett parry the blow. Both pulled back the blades and let loose swipes that matched the others blocking attacks. Judai was learning contrary to his own fighting style, and enjoying it. It was now about having fun, and everyone watching was enjoying the show of the two young men going at it.

Finally Judai backed off and wanted to give his style one last chance, regardless off what he had learned. He gripped his fake swords handle with both hands and tightened his grip. One last breath was taken before he ran forward and jumped up into the air using a death grip to ready his blade when he finally brought it down; he descended through the air right on to his father and then followed through with his slash.

Judai landed on the floor onto his knees and slid across the floor bare handed with nothing in his grasp. His sword flew up into the air in the same direction till it came down into a hand. Judai skimmed across the gym's floor with his eyes closed till he slowly stopped and felt two wooden blades at his neck.

Slowly Judai opened his eyes to see Brett holding the blades cross wise with Judai's neck in the middle. Judai bowed his head and accepted defeat, and it came just like his sister thought it would have. Blair stood up cheering for Brett, and then most others joined into congratulate Brett on the skillful victory. Judai was still in awe of his future father being so skilled even so young, and then Judai replayed the event in his mind.

He came down sword double handed with a grip that only weakened him in the end. Just a slight strike in the right place had knocked the blade clean from his hand, and left Judai defenseless. Then it was a simple task of grabbing the blade from the air and getting ahead of Judai and getting him to yield. Still this had been a lesson that Judai would not forget, that style could out wit brute strength almost every time.

The blades left away from Judai's throat, and he had already conceded. In the back of his mind he was beating himself up for always making the same mistakes, but he did not blame his father. The same thing happened when he fought his father in the future. He always remembered the lessons he was tough when learning to fight, still it would have been nice to overcome his father for once and then a help was offered.

Brett had his hand out and wanted to help his son up, and Judai took the hand with a smile. It was amazing that his dad was so skilled, and Judai suddenly realized that he would not just obtain skill on his own. The realization hit the young man hard, but he would have to work harder then he ever thought and would have to train hard to get the skill he needed. "Well dad you won again; I'm just so amazed that you are this skilled."

"Judai I knew you would lose to dad!" Shouted his sister with a very smug look, and just plain so happy to see her young dad proving he was still superior to her brother.

Brett walked over to the others with Judai following close behind, but in his mind he could not place where he had learned his sword fighting from. Blair was the first to run over and hug Brett excited for his victory and watching him fight so skillfully. Alexia ran over next to hug both her future parents; just to excited by the site of them together reminding her of happier times.

Standing back and watching the three together actually made Judai stop dead in his tracks. He was once again seeing his family together happy just like he remembered. Judai dared not join in since he always acted the cool person trying to impress his father, and he just stood back and watched happily just to see his family whole again. "Judai stop watching and get over here, we have not done this in so long."

His sister's cry called Judai over into the family hug, and once there a flash of light caught everyone's attention. They all looked over to see Alexis taking a picture with a digital camera and smiling at them. "Sorry, I had to just get a picture of the happy family."

The laugh that followed from most of their friend embarrassed Blair so much that she actually broke from the hug. In her mind she kept thinking she was too young to have a family, even under such strange circumstance it was made even weirder. Brett closed in and kneeled over next to Blair's ear and started to whisper so no one else could hear them. "You okay Blair…?"

"Yeah, it's just that I'm too young to have a family and this is just getting so serious."

"I know Blair; it is weird for me too. I feel the same way, and it makes me nervous because I know if I'm ready either. I'm sorry, even when I try to make things better I just end up making things worse. We start having fun and then you find out what happened to me for example."

Blair turned immediately after hearing Brett talk like that, and her expression was not happy. "Brett stop saying things like that, why are you always have to start saying those things about yourself? You are always doing that, it's bad enough others run you down, but do you have to!"

The silence that followed was awkward for everyone since Blair had spoke up during what she had said last. It was a long awkward silence till Brett rose to his feet before he just walked by Blair with his head hanging in shame. "Your right, and no matter how hard I try, things always end up worse for everyone. I should not even be around any more; I just wanted to always make people happy and make things better, but I never do."

Brett kept walking till finally he felt someone grab his right hand, and he turned to see Blair looking at him a little teary eyed. "You do make things better, I just don't want you to be like this. You make my day so much better from the moment I wake up, but you shouldn't have to be treated like this. I don't like that you think like this, but I'm in love with the part that always does so much for me even though I'm no one."

Brett turned fully and looked into Blair's eyes wishing that he could, but something inside him kept him at bay. "I don't know if I can let what I did go Blair, what I'm still doing."

Blair's concerned expression turned to a loving smile, and she knew that this relationship was not perfect. However after all they had been through she did not want it to end, and all she had to do was work hard to keep their relation strong. "Then I will have to help you get over it, you are just lucky to have me as your girlfriend."

"Yeah I really am, but I still feel it is my fault that everything has happened that should not have."

Blair just continued to smile even though she was coming to terms with a real relationship. They continued to hold hands till a wooden sword was smashed into Brett's arm that was holding Blair's hand. Everyone watched Hasleberry doing this, and Chazz was the first to question the situation. "Hasleberry what is your problem; those two were just having a moment!"

Blair backed off and Hasleberry continued to advance on Brett, and the look in his eyes made Brett scarred. "Don't you all get it; everything is Brett's fault and Blair disserves better. This guy should never have been let into our group; he doesn't belong!"

The mutual feeling was terrifying Brett since his friend was saying what he always believed. Brett was terrified, and then he realized he only had one sword, but now even Hasleberry was stronger then him, and he was not sure he could win against two assaults. Blair however was too stunned to talk, but Alexis was not. "Hasleberry; Brett is not our enemy, he is our friend so stop this right now!"

"No Alexis; it's all his fault…! It always has been, and I'm sick of him making all our lives worse! He should not be aloud to be around us; I'm tired of him getting everything too. WE all disserve better, and I'm getting rid of him now!"

Hasleberry immediately swiped at Brett with the practice sword, and Brett blocked only to have his sword almost knocked out of his hand. Hasleberry was so much stronger now, and Brett could not even begin to match his strength. The first swipe was followed by a second that Brett barely evaded, and then another quickly followed. Brett could sense the force behind each one, and he was not in the right state of mind to fight back.

This was a friend he was fighting, one that had never shown this much hatred before as long as Brett had known him. Even Halseberry's eyes were different, but Brett could not argue. This was his worst nightmare, and yet exactly what he thought. Only this time the feeling was confirmed by a friend, and Brett turned and ran out of the gym to intimidated by Hasleberry to continue to fight.

The fearful opponent fleeing only fueled Hasleberry's rage, so much that he would not be satisfied knowing this thing was alive. Quickly he gave chase to Brett, but also noticed that Judai was following close behind with a fake sword in the hopes of stopping Hasleberry peacefully. Hasleberry exited the gym and then turned and kicked the door shut behind him, just as Judai tried to exit the gym.

The impact sent Judai back across the floor on his back in a fair amount of pain. Most everyone else was already moving to go and stop this, except for Alexia who was looking at the exit with rage. This guy was messing with her whole life, and she was getting angrier by the second.

Out in the main hall Brett was still running for his life as fast as possible, but somehow it did not take long for Hasleberry to start to catch up. Brett suddenly turned just when Hasleberry to a lunging swing forward, and quickly ran a flight of stairs trying to stay off this assault. Still he was refusing to attack because he was terrified, and what Hasleberry shouted next did not help the terror levels. "Get back here, I'm going to kill you for everything that you've done to all of us! I should have what you have!"

Soon after Brett got to the top level Hasleberry was right behind him, and running him down. All Brett wanted to do was to disappear, but he was just human, and nothing could stop this now. Brett ran so fat that he could not make a turn and slid into the railing hard enough to make standing or running to hard. Then it hit him; Hasleberry's blade knocked him in the jaw so hard that Brett flipped over the railing, and landed hard on the ground floor right on his back.

Soon Hasleberry jumped down to the first level and through away his pretend sword so he could have both hands free. They both quickly grabbed Brett's throat squeezing with so much force that Brett could not breath at all. Hasleberry had lost all control, and just wanted to see the life leave his eyes, and he started talking to Brett. "You will die now and then things'll be the way they should!!"

Brett was twitching and struggling, but against Hasleberry's strength Brett had very few options. The grip adjusted on his neck ever so often looking for that perfect grip, and Brett took those chances to try and get what he could out. "Hasleberry… please; please stop… I, don't want, to die… I'm sorry; I ruined… everything…"

The weak words held no grip, and Hasleberry's grip suddenly tightened so much that Brett could do nothing but suffer his death at his friend's hands. Hasleberry's primal instincts would not let him stop till all the twitching stopped, and he kept focusing on Brett till something else appeared before him instantly and spoke defiantly at a guy she would never forgive. "Get the hell away from my father!"

Quickly Alexia shifted her body weight making her spin, and her foot connected to Hasleberry's jaw. The blow was forceful enough to knock Hasleberry off Brett, and the young man gasped for air painfully while letting his arms try to grab anything. Alexia was enraged, and jumped over to pin Hasleberry down, and then a resounding sound of metal scrapping was heard and stopped everything.

Alexia had summoned her twin katanas in crossed fashion and pinned Hasleberry down at the throat without hurting him. Alexia did not look to be playing any games, and she was breathing quite hard but she stared right into Hasleberry's till they returned to normal. When Alexia saw Hasleberry return to normal and have a look of extreme regret and anger at him self, she turned to look at her dad.

He was still very much in pain, and just struggling to get air back into his lungs. His hands trying to grab at anything, as they almost involuntary moved trying to stop the pain somehow. The gasps for air were pure torture, and Alexia kept her blades to Hasleberry's throat even after the others started to arrive.

Blair was the first o run over to Brett and slide right in beside him, and she was revolted by how Brett squirmed, coughed and gasped for air. She closed her eyes wishing all of this away, all of these feelings that seemed to be ruining her first year here. She then looked over to Hasleberry so angry at him for doing this, and she asked something of Hasleberry that hurt him deeply. "Just stay away from us; I don't want to see you again!"

No one else was impressed by this, and Alexia finally calmed down and stepped away with her swords. He sat up to see Alexis picking up Brett with Blair right beside her. None of his friends looked impressed, but then Alexia told all of them what happened through a direct warning to Hasleberry. "I don't know why you want to kill my dad, but if you ever try kill my dad again; I won't hesitate to kill you!"

Shock hit everyone else, and Blair could not even look at someone she had thought was her friend. Most everyone else looked really angry, and Hasleberry could say nothing in his defense. Alexis just turned away carrying Brett away to the medics where she could get him help, and Blair, Alexia, Axel, and Judai all left leaving Hasleberry alone, but the person behind them stood there for a few seconds.

Britney looked so sad and she could not believe this. She tried to say anything, but just ended up cringing before she walked away. Chazz let his furry out and grabbed Hasleberry's vests collar and demanded answers. "What the hell were you thinking you Neanderthal? You could have killed him, what were you thinking?"

"I don't know; I just lost control when Blair got upset, and I lost it… why did I do that?"


	20. Chapter 17 the Gathering

Chapter 17 The Gathering

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Chapter 17 The Gathering

Again Brett lay in the medics office with everyone watching over him. Speaking was difficult with his throat having been crushed by a friend. The whole thing had left Brett very confused and even scarred of how weak he was now to the point he ran. What was worse he listened to his friends and children speaking ill of Hasleberry till finally Brett weakly decided to speak up. "Please…"

Everyone came closer when they heard the weak voice, and Brett still strained to get the rest quickly out. "Please… don't blame him; it is my fault. It is my…"

"We can talk about it later, right now just try and rest alright Brett."

Even Fontaine's caring voice was not enough to stop Brett from trying to speak his mind, and he began to try even harder. Finally Mrs. Fontaine was forced to administer some drugs to get Brett to relax and rest. They quickly worked, and knocked Brett into a sleep like state so he could recover. Blair however was very angry, and even hearing Brett's voice did not help at all. "Why does this always happen; Brett is a good person and he has to suffer just because. I just want him to understand it is not his fault; why does he have to be so stupid and always help others put himself down?"

No one had a real answer for Blair, but Alexis wanted to help her friend and approached Blair with her own take on things. "Come on Blair, Brett has always been like this blaming himself for everything bad, but I think there is a reason for it."

Blair looked over to Alexis very confused and wanting an answer and Alexis smiled and continued. "I mean think about it; he is an alien who does not feel like he belongs and Hasleberry is right. Brett has brought many things here that would not have otherwise, and I know too it is not his fault for what he is, because we all love him but… Maybe blaming him self makes him seem less perfect like everyone says, maybe he wants to hide from what he is suppose to be doing and thinking he will never be good enough is helping him deal with it."

Blair immediately froze; nothing had ever dawned on her that he was part of something bigger and more terrifying, and then Blair figured she had been very selfish to her own wants. She knew it, but never remembered most of the time and she never thought of him as less then perfect to her young thoughts of love. Thoughts of when Brett fought with Jenova when Brett was frightened, and maybe it was more then just Brett always beating himself up because he was unhappy. "Brett; you are afraid of losing this and us wanting you to leave because you endanger us… I wish I would have figured it out sooner; I'm so dumb!"

Alexia quietly approached her mom from the side and then gently tapped her arm getting her attention. "Listen, Judai and I did not just come back for you and dad; even though that is what we wanted most. You see Judai is going to hunt down the origin of the black night to find a weakness, and we have warn the others so…"

Next Judai stood next to his sister and when she said nothing else about there mission, he took over. "We are going to find all the other Exia, and we need to have a gathering. The easiest thing for us to do is just use this world for the gathering, but Alexia and I have to leave to find the other Exia right now before things get any worse. Then I will leave on my own to find the black night and stop what is going to happen."

Britney had entered and listened to the whole plan, and then had her own extra suggestion. "So not even Brett's future is a happy one… well if his family is all going to be here then we should at least make the best of the time we have now right! So let's go to Pegasus's mansion and have a nice time; it would be a nice break right?"

Blair looked a little concerned since she was the only one who new about the real problems Brett had with his dad. She knew Brett would hate asking for a favor, and it was even worse when everyone else was excited. "No Brett would never ask his dad for a favor… he would hate it because of what happened and I don't want to mess up again with him. It's bad enough that his girlfriend made so many mistakes."

Alexis motioned that it was alright to both Alexia and Judai, and then Judai led Alexia out of the room so they could get moving to find all the Exia. Alexis could see that Blair was getting depressed and Alexis had to say something to cheer the young girl up. "Blair are you going to be alright…? It's not your fault Brett's so complicated."

"I know Alexis, but I could not even figure anything about Brett. I did not even realize that he was really scared too of what was going on, and yet he was always being so nice. I'm so dumb to think I was perfect for him, and all the time he kept opening up more and more; then I went and blew it every time I got mad just because I could not see he really needed me, and I can't believe he told me secrets."

Suddenly Britney rushed in feeling a question bubbling in her mind that she could just not contain. "Wait he told you why he hates his dad?"

Blair was starting to get teary eyed, but still she answered. "Uh huh… I can't believe Brett told me that, and now I'm going to have to ask him to talk to his dad about it. I don't want to because what if he gets mad at me."

"You don't have to be the one Blair…" Alexis stated causing Blair to stop the waterworks and listen. "We will talk to Pegasus so he does not have to, but I don't think Brett is going to break up with you. Think about that he even told you something so personal, and now you know so you can help him right?"

Blair dried her eyes with the back of her hands, but was still feeling unsure about if she could make amends. "You think…?"

"Yeah Blair; Brett always only has one thing on his mind all the time and that is you anyways. You just stay here till he wakes up and tell him exactly how you feel. We will go talk to his dad and take care of everything, so just relax and figure out what you wanna say."

A quick and short nod was all Blair could give with a still unsure look, but Alexis knew she would be fine. Then Britney and Alexis left to go an speak with Brett's adoptive father about using the island as a safe place for the meeting. Alexia and Judai had left in a hurry to track down all the Exia they could find, but Blair had the hardest job.

Eventually Brett woke up to the news of what was going to happen, and he was displeased with the event but he made it clear that he was not angry at Blair. The two sat there barely speaking, till finally Blair could not take the silence and let her feelings out in a massive torrent. "Brett I'm so sorry I did not figure out things sooner; please just don't get angry at me that I was so stupid because I really am sorry."

"Stop Blair…" Brett stated finally bringing Blair to a holt before he could continue. "Just calm done because you are starting to get worked up about nothing. I'm not mad at you for what happened today so don't worry okay, and it's not your fault that I have problems with my dad. I would not break up with someone who makes me happy…"

"No it's not that; every time I got mad at you for putting yourself down. I did not realize there was more going on, and I feel stupid for not realizing that you were scared of losing us."

Brett sat up out of bed and hugged Blair from the bed, and she appreciated the hug and what he said to her next. "So you figured it out… I'm terrified of losing what I have here, and I would love to put off what I will have to fight. I cannot even duel properly lately since I'm so scarred. But I'm not blaming you, not when you make my life worth living and you keep believing in me… but really I'm scarred of losing you with everything I bring here."

Blair started to form tears in her eyes, but she had to say anything to make sure things were alright because she could just not believe it. "So you're not mad at me right?"

"No; and I will go to this gathering okay so don't worry… I'm not going to leave you."

The rest of the day was spent for the two just laying in the infirmary spending time sorting things out. Brett just adored watching Blair expressing herself, and he kept her close till it was time to leave for the mansion. The meeting was going to be held with almost all of the Exia.

Brett's group included Blair who was practically attached to his arm ready to support him, and then he had quite a few friends. Alexia and Judai were obligated to go because of what they were. Alexis, Britney, Axel, and Chazz all decided to go even if Jaden and Syrus decided to stay behind. Last were the special requests; Hasleberry had been invited by Brett since he wanted them to know they were still friends, and last was Naomi who begged to come to see Siarnaq and was granted her request.

After a long trip out to Pegasus's secluded island, everyone freshened up with what little time they had. Alexia and Judai left to go and recover the Exia they had found, and mere instants everyone who could be found was brought together. They had not seen the others in a long time, but underneath the happiness everyone was nervous to the reason for why they had been gathered.

One at a time each group convened at Pegasus's mansion thank to Alexia and Judai. Almost all of the Exia showed up except for one; Fayt had concealed his existence not that the other Exia would have been terribly glad to see him. It was a little awkward between each group, but since the priority was simply meeting and discussing what was about to happen.

Everyone convened in a massive room with a long table with each group sitting beside their respective Exia. Both the Exia of light and lighting had the biggest group that ended up taking one full side of the table easily plus a little more. The other Exia had only a few, and if it had not been for Naomi literally strong handing Brett despite Blair's best protest considering his weak condition to be at Siarnaq's side.

Ever since she had been saved by Siarnaq from death she had developed feelings for him because of it. They had not seen each other for quite some time, but she wanted to be right beside him now that he was near again. She could imagine Siarnaq leaving her behind again and that meant that she had to enjoy what time she was granted with him. The woman sat right beside Siarnaq completely proper and serious like Siarnaq trying not to upset him so that maybe she could go with him when he left.

At the moment things were fairly uncomfortable being just taken from there homes by the information that the worst was still coming. Loved ones were especially nervous with the grim news of a person they had come to be so close to. No matter if they could take the time right now to fool around, but they wanted to get the meeting done first before anything else came up.

It was pretty awkward for everyone who did not know anyone from the other worlds. Still it was exciting enough for some whispering between people who knew each other. No one wanted to start the meeting seeing as how depressing it would become, and soon it was up to the only Exia who was blunt enough to do it. "It is time that we started this meeting, and I think it would be best if we sorted out all the problems we have. Alexia I think you or Judai should tell us right away the most troublesome problem that you know."

In the future Judai and Alexia had come to known this Exia who was speaking so well; Siarnaq was a legend as the Exia of darkness but still not the level they considered their father. Alexia was simply to worried to speak, and left it to her twin brother to start the telling of the dark future they all shared. "I think that you should all no that something else is already different about this timeline, and things may change again before this event happens, but…"

"About twenty to forty years in the future things are pretty bad compared to what they are now. The Exia are being hunted down by an invincible black knight that never sleeps or eats, and never has to rest. It has no compassion, and never failed to show me that once when it hunted all the Exia down. All that was left eventually was my sister and I, and then we had to come back in time to escape it… still I want you to know that."

"That is enough for now…" Siarnaq stated coldly and stopped any further information taking a quick pause before he continued. "We can discuss further on that issue later but we have other problems as well. So Brett; are you going to tell us what happened to you or should I. You are not going to keep anything from us no matter how embarrassing you think it is, so tell us now…"

Being Brett's girlfriend; Blair did not enjoy anyone using that kind of tone on Brett, but he responded obediently feeling that he still owed his life to Siarnaq. "What happened; recently I was infected with Negastream and it changed me. It was to great to deny, and it changed me from who I was and I was lost in its feeling. I lost all my powers and strength and then Fayt stole it from me. Now I'm different and weak, I'm not the person most of you knew, and then many other groups have been trying to capture or kill me for there own reasons."

Siarnaq did feel for the young man in the deepest part of hi heart, but that feeling was snuffed out a single moment later. "Stop asking for pity from us because we have enough other problems. If you want it then ask your girlfriend and friends for it, but right now we have other things to talk about. As for you even if you are going to stand up for him, don't because we have more important things going on…"

This guy who had saved Brett earlier was hitting all the wrong notes with Blair, but she stayed silent while holding Brett's hand tight just trying to be there for him. "No doubt you all know about groups that are after us, but most are after Brett, the Exia of Light because of his abilities. They can ruin or help certain enemies, and right now Brett is still are most valuable asset. He has a new power forming inside him that may yet be the greatest tool we have, plus his weakness can bring back a power we thought was gone forever; the philosophers ability."

Many had no idea of what was being spoken of, but the memories inside each of the Exia remembered those moments. "Back when Jenova used our ability to create a new weapon that would change the future in an instant. The possibility exists if we could create a new Exia of fire and of metal so that we can use this ability to create a new weapon that could destroy Jenova's. The only thing we would need is an Exia with no powers like you Brett; since your power of Light is weak you can procreate the Exia we need if the females are gifted with the elements we need."

"Absolutely not…!" Shouted Blair not even the slightest bit intimidated anymore by the once terrifying Siarnaq, and she was marking territory. "No one else is going to have Brett like that so find another way because he is mine!"

The room suddenly seamed so silent from the awkward moment after the young girl realized what she had boldly told complete strangers. The other Brett sitting with Asagi was taken off guard, but Siarnaq was not. "I figured you would say that, but I have to say that as the Exia are right at this moment that we will not be fine. I cannot see the future, no one can truly predict their future even if they know their own destiny and I can see that interfering too. The Exia were designed to be perfect, and that is our fatal flaw because we are not…"

"Each Exia is given powers… or so we believed, but now is the time that I reveal a little more to what I learned on my own. The powers we gain is through evolution, and they do to just magically come to us. Right now we are the connection between different dimensions and worlds, but things are now to far gone for us to have any effect. All of us are experiments and only through evolution like humans can we hope to see our true potential. Most are all first generation and as we are we can't destroy Jenova or change the future. We are trophies or targets to everyone who knows of our race, as we are now I do not believe we can stand to survive much longer because the gods are now taking notice of us."

"So what are you saying…?" Aeolus shouted with no control or patience to wait and hear his ally out, but the barrage did not end there. "I made some dumb mistakes and I know there is now way things will ever be easy for us, but are you saying we should just give up?"

"I do not think we should just give up, but we are not perfect as you all well know. Light seams invincible but if you crush the will to fight it is over incredibly easy. After all he has been through it is hard for him to continue through all the pain he has to experience; from now I will only get harder to continue if things get worse. Fire and Metal could not save themselves either, you see we all have weaknesses to exploit."

"Fayt only needs to challenge an opponent that is too powerful and he will be crushed, his overconfidence is going to destroy him. Lightning you must continue to push yourself far beyond what you should, but your evolution is slow and that is your downfall. Water needs to learn and in battle that is nearly impossible to an extent. Wind you must use your abilities but fighting in space would destroy every ability you posses. I gain power from killing, and I cannot anymore after the thousand years I have lived; so you see we are not perfect and we have a tough time ahead."

Levius was sitting back comfortably listening intently, but wanted to know more about himself. It was a rare occasion for the answers just to be given so easily but something not to be missed. "Siarnaq, what else did you learn about the Exia?"

"The Exia each evolve different ways, but they cannot change what type they are. Light needs to be threatened, Lightning to push himself, Water to Learn, Wind to practice, Destiny to fight, and Darkness to kill… We all have a path and I know of nothing that can change that, and I'm of little use. When I was born I awoke for the first time I was very different from what I am now. Now I cannot act or do anything to change the way things should happen, and that is why I stay hidden."

"That book told me almost nothing that I could have wanted to know, but I think at this point we cannot do anything against what comes our way except survive. We are now facing too many enemies and the Exia are now primary targets. We are being hunted and used by Jenova, Balance, all of Balance's underlings that he can be created at his will, this Black Night, and the worst of all the gods that now want to destroy us. We are separated by dimensions and cannot stay in contact, and it seams like we are only going to die out and be left as a page in history to the few who remember us…"

Everyone close to one of the Exia felt for them, but a lot just did not know that the people they knew were aliens. Meyrin was still a little in denial and Cagalli felt hurt she had not been told by her child hood friend. Ashe was stunned, but was intrigued to find out what else was behind Levius, a guy that she was starting to obsess about. Jeanne knew and so did her allies, but hearing what else they had to contend with was more then daunting. So many had conflicting emotions, but after looking to Asagi, Brett had to say something. "So what are we going to do?"

A deep sigh came from Siarnaq, and everyone was hoping for an easy answer to come out, but it did not. "We can just leave everything and try t fight back, but I know for a fact we will fail. We cannot fight gods or any goddess and possibly make things worse. I'm held back and cannot do anything, we would need something drastic to happen to change what I believe will. The only real choice I think we can make is to continue living the way we have, because we simply cannot fight against something this big in the state we are. But it is too soon, and a lot has been told here tonight. For now I think we should relax and take everything in, so let us take a long break and reflect on the choice we think we should make."

The room well silent while many considered what was going to happen from this point on. There were few options with massive consequences laying in wait behind either one. Everyone was going to need to chose what path they would take from this point onwards, and that made them think about possibly just going home, but then the door opened and Pegasus stuck his head in not caring if he interrupted or not. "Excuse me everyone but most of you are probably hungry after such a long trip, so why don't you all take a break and come eat?"

The distraction was exactly what everyone needed, and Levius could see that everyone needed this. "I think that precisely what we all need right now. We can all rest and eat and then tomorrow we will all chose what we are going to do. For now let us just take a break."

Everyone present got up and preceded into the next room to see a massive banquet filled with many types of food and drinks. The only problem was this was a major crossroad for everyone present, but none knew that no matter what they chose thing were know moving towards events that would surely lead them down a new path.


	21. Chapter 18 The Decision

Chapter The Decision

The Decision

Almost everyone split apart into their own worlds groups still too timid to talk to others, of course each Exia's group had a lot to discuss. All of the Exia had a tough choice to make when it came too what would happen next. Asagi could tell her fiancée was restless and would want revenge. Blair was very upset with how her Brett had been treated by Siarnaq, and extremely furious with what he had implied. Both Celestia and Jeanne had doubts too, but out on a small balcony looking down on the isolated island was Siarnaq and Misora.

The Exia of Darkness left each of his brethren a tough choice, now they had to decide. He was never one to interfere in others personal affairs because something always told him not to. However the approaching footsteps reminded him that he had violated that policy yet again. "It is nice to see you again Siarnaq. I always hoped I would get to see you again, I have to say you were a little tough on that one of your family."

Misora took a spot right beside Siarnaq, staring him from an angle but prompting a response. "Right now I have to be; despite the happy lives everyone has been able to live I still cannot. I'm the only one who is like this, and what ever it is does not permit me to do anything for myself. None of us are natural, the only true thing I feel certain about these days is that something must happen to change all of us. Are fatal flaw was that we were designed to be perfect, now the only real question will be if we can survive long enough to evolve into a real species."

Misora listened intently, becoming very curious to hear what the reason was and prompted the answer with a quick observation. "You believe being a natural creation is better then being created?"

"Yes; our design was meddled with too many times, and I know now that originally we could not survive. Still it seems that something is still on our side, working with us to insure that we continue on. The Exia will die out for sure… unless someone helps us evolve into a species that is beyond what we are. Natural evolution is the key, and someone or something is going to have to be the one to change everything. I will have to become the one that performs this act, but I must ask you to not tell anyone of my plan. Soon all the Exia will die if things pass the way I want them too, and then from the ashes we can begin a new."

The idea was a dark one that Misora could understand even if she could never approve of. The fact that this man had saved her and believed that she should not throw her life away did hold significant meaning. Reluctantly she just had to agree, and she would not intervene in his plan. It meant a lot just telling her, but she could just tell that Siarnaq would not harm any of the Exia in his attempt to save them.

Blair was inside with Brett and a few of their friends all together talking things over. Blair was still embarrassed at what she had told every last person so openly, and what was worse was that total strangers heard it. Even though it was joyous to hear Blair's conviction Brett had a tough choice that he had to talk over with everyone; now he had to face his darkest realization. "I cannot leave; I just cannot fight in this kind of battle and lose what I have here. It is my responsibility to protect you and I just cannot lose this place. This is the only place I know I will ever be happy, and I'm too afraid; what should I do?"

Everyone fell dead silent in the small group of duelists, this was Brett's decision and one they could not make for him. They had personal feelings but they understood what each choice could mean too, and interference could have the worst ramifications at this crossroad, but one person was as blunt as ever. "No; you are not going to leave me!"

Brett looked up at Blair who was presenting a very serious expression, but he knew what she would say even before she could continue to speak. "I don't want you to leave me, just stay and we will have fun and duel and everything you like. You don't have to; leave it to the other Exia; it's not fair that we should give up our happiness because something is happening that you can't help. I have almost lost you to many times to lose you again; I can't believe I never realized how great you are but I don't want you to go."

It was a very heart felt statement that could have easily swayed Brett to stay with her no matter what would come if it was not for the knowledge of what might come after him now. "Blair… I don't want to go, but how can I just turn my back on the people that are like my family; if I'm with them then I might be able to make a difference."

"But we are your family too…" Blair cried out with no regard for who was listening, and she was ready to fight for what she had. "Everyone with you at Duel Academy is your family to; none of us want you to go. I know you think you can help but you are too weak now after the mistakes I made, I'm sorry for my mistakes but I still don't want you to go because I'm afraid of losing you!"

The plea tugged at Brett's heart; he could not imagine leaving from his own issues. He got down onto one knee and brushed Blair's hair out of her eyes for his confession. "I'm scarred of losing you guys and not coming back to Blair. I don't want to even risk it no matter what happens, so… I'm going to stay here with all of you; if that is okay with the rest of you?"

Blair was the first to exclaim how happy she was that she had won her prize. They could find a way, and she was going to enjoy hiding with him. All of Brett's friends were glad to hear that he would stay, but somehow Alexis knew that eventually who Brett was would catch up with him. Still deep down she definitely wanted Brett to stay as well.

Across the room and sitting at a table was the former Theus, pondering what choice he would make now. Both Celestia and Ashe were curious too, but really Ashe had been blown away by the complete overload of information. Her mind had been swept away by just everything she had seen in the last few hours, and she was completely dazed allowing Celestia to have a serious chat. "Levius, what are you going to chose to do?"

"There is no doubt this is a tough choice on all of us. I cannot because I still have a job to do; Weil is still my responsibility. I'm partly to blame for the state of your world and I do not feel ready to leave it to its fate. I don't belong but I know that Weil is still there after all those years. I can still sense his presence like a knife in my back, and so I cannot leave the world. I'm still as responsible for the biometals, and I will make amends for all the mistakes I committed and lay for the next generation."

Levius quickly glanced over at Ashe who was still dazed from the information and shock to what se had thought about him. It had completely overwhelmed the young girl and this little confession gave insight for Celestia. "So is that why you are keeping her close; because you feel responsible for laying this huge fate down on her. I'm as much to blame as you are, and that is why I'm going to follow you to where ever and help you. I'm not going to leave you after everything that we have been through."

"Thank you Celestia… thank you for understanding. I never meant for you to feel like I was leaving you for Ashe. I have a responsibility because I helped Weil, and he still haunts me. I will see that what ever is causing the problems this time is dealt with and then I will do what I can. I want you to stay at my side, and together we can aid the situation that threatens to destroy everything."

Celestia smiled and grabbed hold of Levius's hand showing her affection despite that he was not so open with his feelings. They both looked over to Ashe who was still off in space processing the information not listening to either of them, and Celestia let out a long sigh. "Alright I will let her stay for now, but that does not mean I have to like it."

Meanwhile Jeanne, Roger, and Liane were being led around by Aeolus looking at different places in the mansion and it was quite a shock. Just the technology of electricity was an awakening, but the different pallet of food was even more of a system shock. Jeanne was in love and had taken a full plate of food along with her, after all her war was over and despite her refinement she still was eager to put one ordure after the next in her mouth to sample.

Everything was new and beyond what they could have ever imagined possible. All the technology of things like television and holographics were easily mistaken for magic. It was life times beyond Jeanne and her companions, but Aeolus never missed a step when it came to explaining the science behind it. He could tap his reserve of knowledge which covered and amazing amount of knowledge. However Jeanne had noticed that even if Aeolus was making good on showing her new worlds, she could tell he was putting off his choice. "So you have not decided yet what you are going to do have you?"

"No Jeanne I have not even been thinking; honestly I have no clue what I should do… I'm sure that the solution will show up, and that will be the path that I will follow. It's not that big of a deal anyways…"

A sudden cold feeling draped over Aeolus's soul the second he finished, it was just the feeling of those same serious eyes that he fell in love with were now upon him. He shifted his eyes to gave upon Jeanne still in her medieval armor looking like she was aggravated with her significant attraction, and her tone matched her persona perfectly. "What do you mean by just you…? Or do I not matter to you anymore?"

"Come on Jeanne…" Aeolus said with a smirk and a slightly nervous crack in his voice. "You know that I'm not going to leave you and that everything I do includes you so don't sweat it. All I'm saying is that things will work out so why not just enjoy everything here and now in front of us."

Jeanne sighed with the fact that she could not stay angry with him, but she was not going to let herself be seen as weak to him. "Very well, but from now on just remember that it is both of us together."

Roger and Liane smiled to one another while watching the two have a little squabble; both knew nothing would come of it. Jeanne and Aeolus worked to well together, proving that opposites were attracted to one another. Somehow it did work, and the other wore off and influenced the other to act certain ways. What ever it was it worked well with both being strong enough and providing them with a happy exciting events that kept it interesting.

Back in the main hall was the last group with he most fired up Exia. Not one of his friends could calm the nerves of Brett who wanted to hunt down and exterminate Larxene. Everyone else wanted to at least seek justice for what she had done, but Brett was not going to stop there because he could not. "There is no way in hell I'm going to let what she did go; I'm not going to let her get off easy either. I swear she is going to pay; I don't want her to get away with what she did to any of you."

No one could really argue, but Asagi could see the difference in Brett's heart. His tone told her that he was dead serious about making someone suffer. To her Brett was not like that, at least not the person she fell in love with years ago. "Brett please, you do not have to do this; we can hide away… I just don't want to lose you like we almost did."

Brett grabbed Asagi and held her tight to his body fully ready to make it clear about how he felt. "Asagi; I'm not going to let you live like that, and you are not going to lose me. I cannot take living in fear and I won't let that happen. This is something you cannot hide from; let's go destroy what is bothering us and then we can live a normal life. Please, you know I love you and that I only want the best for you…"

In her heart she knew that Brett was restless, and she could tell that this was more important then her. She was nervous and unsure about this idea feeling that it would only cause more problems, but also she started to wonder about Brett. She wondered when exactly he had became like this, but it was not the person she fell in love with and it was starting to weigh heavier on her mind. All their friends had no intentions of joining because some could not while others were unsure.

Cagalli had her country to think of, while Kira and Lacus were starting to settle in to a quiet peaceful life. Truly no one wanted to leave their homes and there was always the chance they would not come back. Leaving home was hard enough, and there were people who just did want to leave Brett. Everyone had a hard choice ahead, but Asagi had made her choice and started to leave with Brett to go for a personal walk. Things were too chaotic making her place her faith that following Brett would be the right choice.

Together they started to leave and passed by another young couple, the two girls looking over the others Exia. Blair did not like how close they looked and neither Asagi like the resemblance either. Both girls scowled and passed by staying close to there guy not liking that it was like seeing someone they were so close with another girl. However both were going there separate ways, and both Bretts' were focused more on other things.

Brett and Blair exited out onto the balcony to where Siarnaq and Misora were both spending some quiet time together. Misora could see how serious this talk was going to be just from the look that the moonlight revealed across Brett's face. Misora left, but Blair did not because her faith in someone she thought really helped her before was gone, and now she wanted to know what was going on.

After Misora had completely left Siarnaq could already feel the tone that was set, and he would not hold the truth if they demanded it. "I trust you both want to know what is going on; I'm sorry I was so blunt with you earlier but we as a race have a lot to deal with in the near future. Our genes are predominate so that everything that follows us will always be an Exia, and therefore evolution is very doubtful. I cannot sit back and let things continue. Soon everything will change…"

The deep voiced warning was very ominous, and Brett had already started to question his ally behind the meaning of his words. "What do you mean Siarnaq, what is going to happen and how do you know?"

"Because I have a similar gift to what Fayt has, and I will not lie to you… this is a very important crossroads and the actions I'm going to take are only for the best. Things are to chaotic at the moment, too many enemies know of us and fear something false. They fear a power of limitless evolution, but we do not posses this ability, Jenova would never risk it and I still do not know why we do have souls. Arniath did not modify, he only separated us so where we got souls is beyond me, and still something is guiding us."

"Siarnaq…?" Brett nervously questioned not feeling like the situation was going to be too far beyond him to stop.

"Do not worry; this is all just a premonition for the true Chaos to come; this is still the prologue and the real journey has yet to begin, but in no way is this meaningless. For now just continue the way you are going, and let the others do as they please. I promise you that things will work out for all of us; for the longest time I have been hiding from what is about to happen, but now things are going to happen the way I have seen…"

Except for the noise from inside everything fell dead quiet, and neither Brett nor Blair knew what to truly believe or think about what Siarnaq was doing. "You both should get some rest; I promise you need not worry because soon things will happen the only way they can."


End file.
